This is Definitely Not ‘The One”

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The Fighter arrivals at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada officially kicks off Fight Week for the biggest fight of 2014 thus far, Saul “Canelo” Angulo vs Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo.

Theres nothing like a big fight week in Las Vegas. The atmosphere is electric and the anticipation of what might transpire is palpable.

However, there wont be anything like the fight week that took place for Mayweather vs Canelo for a very long time.

By Canelo standards,  this particular public event was, well.. disappointing.

There are a lot of questions about just how big Canelo’s star power truly is. Had he been ‘the one’ to finally defeat Floyd Mayweather back in September, there is no doubt he would be THE freckled face of boxing. The fact is, however, he didn’t win.

So we are left wondering, will he still have the same drawing power as before his first loss. Judging by the atmosphere inside the MGM, it seems his popularity took a hit. The fact that this fight will be on pay per view will give us another barometer by which to judge.

The reality is that Canelo’s popularity is rare. Theres something intangible there thats difficult to explain. By most accounts it doesn’t have much to do with credibility. But as Canelo continued to win, the idea that he could be the real deal saw a continuing growth in his popularity that lead to the record breaking numbers that his last fight produced. So what did his first loss do to his stardom?
If he has declined considerably in popularity, can he regain it, and what will it take?

Enter Alfredo Angulo.

El Perro is the type of fighter sure to bring excitement into the ring. His come forward, hard, very hard, hitting style always makes for action, fan friendly fights. If Canelo’s fans are looking for something to cheer for after his dreary last fight, Angulo will certainly wake them up.

Aside from his action style, Angulo is also a very credible opponent. Erislanda Lara is being touted by many as the true top fighter at Jr middleweight, and the true challenge to Floyd Mayweather. Angulo gave Lara the biggest test the Cuban has ever had, dropping him twice, a feat that had never been done, and appeared to be on his way to victory until it was strangely and controversially stopped after Angulo’s eye was severely damaged by a single punch.

It’s unlikely that Golden Boy promotions will put Canelo in the ring anytime soon with Lara who is a counter punching relatively unknown fighter, at least by mainstream standards.

We still dont know a whole lot about Canelo as a fighter. He lost to the best fighter in the world, and hes only beaten one top tier fighter in his, Austin Trout, a fighter who is also relatively unproven. Is he good enough to beat the rest of them, or is he truly just a hype machine? Has the loss made his the hype dissipate?

Angulo is a great choice by his promotion company to gauge where their star is at, both in terms of in ring ability and how bright his star is shining.

What you have here is two great young fighters coming off loses to great fighters. They both have everything to prove. A loss would be very detrimental. A win would be huge no matter how many people watch.