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Canelo in shape to bounce back from Floyd Mayweather loss

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  • 3 min read

Canelo Alvarez steps back into the ring this coming Saturday night to face tough compatriot Alfredo Angulo in an exciting clash.

The young superstar is fighting for the first time since suffering a maiden career loss last September against pound for pound best Floyd Mayweather Jr in Las Vegas.

He now heads back to the same venue to get his career back on track.

‘Canelo’ showed heart in going down to what was really never a split decision at the MGM Grand. But Alvarez can take a lot away from that encounter that will stand him in good stead for the rest of his career.

At just 23, even sharing a ring with someone in the ilk of Mayweather could prove to be an invaluable experience for Alvarez.

The youngster already has two world titles behind him as he heads into his 45th professional contest this weekend.

Opposing ‘Canelo’ is ‘The Dog’ or ‘El Perro’ Angulo, a rugged beast of a boxer who can wear opponents down with just his stare alone and has an impressive 72% knockout ratio to back it up.

The 31-year-old is currently training with Virgil Hunter and sparring with the likes of Amir Khan and Andre Ward during some punishing training sessions. He aims to use to help him inflict a second straight defeat on Alvarez.

Whether Angulo can put it off may simply come down to the mindset of Alvarez and how that recent Mayweather defeat has affected him.

Angulo will certainly need to put the pressure on ‘Canelo’ in the early rounds but will have to be smart and keep something in reserve for the second half of the fight.

Against Erislandy Lara in June 2013, Angulo was on top in the first six rounds and used his brute strength to push the Cuban back. Although doing the same to Alvarez may prove more difficult.

In the end, it was Angulo’s severely swollen face that put an end to his interim WBA title challenge at the Home Depot Center as Lara came back strong. Something that Alvarez will no doubt be targeting when the pair collide on Saturday night.

I am expected an entertaining fight from the outset, with more than one knockdown, but just cannot see how Angulo will be able to keep Alvarez off throughout.

Angulo and Hunter have to have an alternative plan than just coming forward and throwing punches for the duration.

Plus, Alvarez has that cuteness and range to go with his own ferocious power.


CANELO

The fight could develop into a phone-box style war on the inside, which may ultimately prove too much for Angulo. His fragilities may be out of his own control against the youth and exuberance of Alvarez.

If Angulo can stay out of trouble for two minutes of each round I can see him going the distance with ‘Canelo’ and claiming a moral victory in his biggest fight to date.

I’d expect Alvarez to comfortably be handed the win if he ultimately fails to stop his countryman sooner.

Getting back in the win column should set Alvarez up nicely for a possible vacant WBC light-middleweight title shot later in the year. That’s once ex-foe Mayweather finally relinquishes the green belt at 154lbs.

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Canelo Alvarez vs. Alfredo Angulo is live on BoxNation (Sky Ch.437/Virgin Ch.546) this Sunday from 2am. Visit BoxNation to subscribe.