Alfredo “Perro” Angulo (24-5, 20KOs) is one of the most seasoned vets currently operating within the PBC stable. That statement says a lot considering the vast roster competing inside the ranks of Al Haymon’s financially trusted brainchild. Throughout his career, Angulo has been in the ring with some of the best fighters in his division and has produced some of the most memorable fights during that time.
However, since suffering the second loss of his career Angulo is 4-4 over the past four years, although he is riding a two fight win streak in 2015.
Angulo is 33 years old and 29 fights deep into his pro career. Normally, that record and age would indicate a fighter with at least a few years left, but Angulo has drawn some criticism lately regarding how much he has left in the tank after several years of grueling fights – the kind of fights that take something away from even the toughest fighters.
Still, Angulo maintains his desire to continue his career and believes he can compete at the highest level.
Prior to his last outing — a stoppage victory over Hector Munoz on the undercard of Leo Santa Cruz-Abner Mares back in August — Angulo appeared as a guest on Thaboxingvoice.com’s twice-weekly radio show. In the interview, Angulo listed a handful of fighters that he would be willing to face at some point down the road. Besides PBC’s Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin and Danny Jacobs, Angulo admitted that he would be willing to face off against recently unified middleweight titlist Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin.
Some skeptics may view those potential opponents as dangerous choices, but consider Angulo’s position in the sport and the reputation he’s earned as an exciting fighter capable of producing fireworks against any opponent opposite of him in the ring.
At this stage in his career, Angulo could be looking for the lowest risk paydays out there, being more concerned with padding his bank account as opposed to delivering more memories for fight fans. It is admirable to see a fighter with a reputable name and a financially lucrative niche in boxing with the backing of the Mexican/Hispanic fans in a sport that thrives off of the demographic.
Of course, those big names will carry significant paydays, but it would be better for his career at this point if he were to seek out opponents with low risk/high reward.
To that point, rumors have been circulating on social media that a potential bout between Angulo and a Mexican fighter with a similar reputation in Antonio Margarito. That fight makes all kinds of sense on paper, although the reality of the fight is combated by Margarito’s absence from the sport, his unrelenting eye injury, and unknown promotional ties leave the prospects for this fight murky.
Angulo matches well with fighters in almost any scenario. Young fighters with something to prove, proven fighters with the desire to up their commercial appeal, warriors with the propensity to fight every second of every round, and veterans in a similar predicament that offer up an even playing field, Angulo’s options are only limited by his desire to fight and disposition towards any one opponent.
Regardless of whether or not Angulo’s best days are behind him, he is the kind of fighter that will always deliver on fight night because he will produce a memorable fight. He will not run, he will not clinch, and he will not quit. If Angulo wants to resume his career at the highest level then we should enjoy him while we still can because there are few fighters like him left in the sport.
And other than his surprising upset loss to James De la Rosa a year ago, Angulo has only been defeated by some of the very best in his division, fighters that will go down as the very best competing at the time.
I would love to see a fight with Margarito, but in all honesty, it would not be difficult to envision him producing at least a slightly better performance against Golovkin than the one we experienced a few weeks ago with David Lemieux, and that was supposed to be the toughest fight of Triple G’s career, not to mention the fact that it would be a conceivably easier sell as a PPV.
