Mexico’s Alfredo “Perro” Angulo will headline his first pay-per-view main event Saturday, but the bad news is that he’s not the favorite.
That’s far from a problem, however. Not only does Angulo (22-3, 18 KOs) enjoy being the underdog, he has an opportunity to revive his career after his well-documented immigration problems and a TKO loss to Erislandy Lara in his last bout.
Angulo will face former junior middleweight titlist Canelo Alvarez, who is also coming off his first career loss in September against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The fight against Canelo (42-1-1 with 30 KOs) will be at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas with no titles at stake.
Here are five keys to victory for Angulo against Alvarez:
Forward thinkingAlvarez is a robotic opponent. He doesn’t engage often and prefers to wait from the outside. Angulo will need to apply pressure in order to close the distance and hit him hard when he finally gets there. Alvarez knows he will need to move to avoid the blows from long range, but at a close distance, his moves may be useless. The key for Angulo will be to trust his power, overwhelm Alvarez and break down his balance. Let’s see if Alvarez resists the physical and mental barrage.
Anything you can do, I can do betterAlvarez usually finishes his opponents by consistently breaking them down to the body. Angulo, however, is just as good at throwing the same punch. So what happens if Alvarez catches him with the same strategy? “El Perro” can handle it. The plan will be to equal Alvarez’s body attack with his own hooks before finishing the combination upstairs.
Watch, learn, applyOf all Alvarez’s fights, it was in the first round against Jose Miguel Cotto in 2010 when he was in the most trouble of his career. Angulo should see this video and apply Cotto’s technique by faking with the right hand and, after Alvarez opens up, surprising him with a left hand up the middle. Against Cotto, Alvarez was staggered and barely survived the round. Angulo should consider this ploy and see what happens.
Defense win gamesIt already happened to Angulo in other battles — his offensive nature leaves him exposed repeatedly. Against a puncher like Alvarez, this mistake can be crucial. When attacking, Angulo must take defensive precautions. It’s best to close up his guard or move his head and shoulders to avoid the shots, while being sure to use a two-hand barrier to combat the counter attack of Alvarez.
In the corner you must trustIf the plan is to surprise Alvarez, trainer Virgil Hunter’s work will be essential. We know that Angulo’s defense is his offense, so his strategy is simple: attack, get hit and keep landing power shots until his opponent is finished. But what if we, instead, see a whole different version of “Perro” on Saturday? One who is more cunning, manipulative and patient instead the typical pressure fighter? If he decides to implement this plan and it works, all the credit will go to Hunter.
