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Angulo Meets Kirkland on Nov. 5 in Cancun

Published

9 years ago

September 30, 2011

LOS ANGELES, September 29 – Known for its dazzling beaches and as a vacation destination for millions, Cancun, Mexico will be turned into a fight town on Saturday, November 5, when Golden Boy Promotions and Periodico QueQui (Pepe Gomez) will bring one of the most anticipated bouts in recent years to the Cancun Center, where junior middleweight sluggers Alfredo “Perro” Angulo and James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland will engage in what is already anticipated to be a 2011 Fight of the Year candidate live on HBO’s Boxing After Dark. Also on tap for this boxing extravaganza is a middleweight clash between two fighters battling for a spot in the top ten, undefeated rising star Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin and the always tough contender Craig McEwan.

“This is a fight that fans have been looking forward to for years and now we are finally going to see Angulo vs. Kirkland, and the word ‘explosive’ won’t do it justice,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “There’s no mystery as to what either fighter wants to do on November 5. James and Alfredo are both going to be looking for the knockout and I can’t wait to see it.”

“This is the kind of fight boxing needs and I respect James Kirkland for stepping up and taking it,” said Angulo. “We’re not going to dance or hug in there on November 5th; we’re going to fight, and I can’t wait.”

“Angulo has been on my radar for a long time and I’m happy that we’re finally going to get a chance to fight each other,” said Kirkland. “He’s a good fighter, I like his style and I know we’re going to make for a great fight.”

“I’m very excited and blessed to have this opportunity,” said Quillin. “I know Craig is a solid fighter with tons of fight in him because we used to train together in the same gym, but he has to prove that he has what it takes to give me my first loss. He has tons of heart, but so do I, and if he wants to make a good fight, then he can meet me right in the middle of the ring on November 5th.”

“I don’t think I can just beat Quillin, I know I’m going to knock him out,” McEwan said.

Angulo vs. Kirkland, a 12 round junior middleweight bout and Quillin vs. McEwan, a 10-round middleweight fight are presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Periodico QueQui (Pepe Gomez) and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate. The HBO Boxing After Dark broadcast will air at 10:15pm ET/PT.

While James Kirkland can knock you out with a single blow, Mexicali’s Alfredo “Perro” Angulo (20-1, 17 KO’s) is a punishing puncher who can make you beg for a one punch knockout. A professional since 2005, Angulo became a fan favorite for his aggressive style while he piled up win after win, with his only loss coming via decision to Kermit Cintron in 2009. The winner of five in a row since then, including victories over Harry Joe Yorgey, Joel Julio and Joachim Alcine, Angulo returned from a year long layoff in August with a first round knockout over Joseph Gomez. He will look to make a big statement against the concussive punching Kirkland.

One of the hardest punchers in boxing today, James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland (29-1, 26 KO’s) has been responsible for some of the most devastating knockouts seen in recent years. A longtime junior middleweight contender who owns victories over Eromosele Albert, Ricardo Cortes, Brian Vera and Joel Julio, the 27-year-old southpaw from Austin, Texas returned to the ring in 2011 after two years away, and he has won four of five bouts, with all four victories coming by knockout in two rounds or less.

Undefeated as a professional, Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (25-0, 19 KO’s) has become a much avoided contender in the middleweight division in the past year. That’s not a shock considering his series of crushing knockout wins over Dennis Sharpe, Jesse Brinkley, and Jason LeHoullier in 2011. Now ready to take the next step in his career, the popular 28-year-old will look to take his career to the next level with a win over McEwanin his HBO Boxing After Dark debut.

Also looking to make a big impression on fight fans this November is Scotland native Craig McEwan (19-1, 10 KO’s). Coming off of the first loss of his professional career, which was a thrilling 10 round battle with Andy Lee in March, the 29-year-old southpaw knows that the only way to erase the sour taste of defeat is by replacing it with a big win. In his fight against Peter Quillin, he has the opportunity to take out a top level opponent and get back in the victory circle in front of a worldwide television audience.

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The Sweet Science

Articles

2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

5 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

The WBC World Super Featherweight title bout between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura came on one of the biggest boxing stages of 2015, as the bout served as the HBO pay-per-view’s co-main event on November 21st, in support of Miguel Cotto vs Saul Alvarez.

Miura entered the fight with a (29-2-2) record and he was making the fifth defense of his world title, while Vargas entered the fight with an undefeated mark of (22-0-1) in what was his first world title fight. Both men had a reputation for all-out fighting, with Miura especially earning high praise for his title defense in Mexico where he defeated Sergio Thompson in a fiercely contested battle.

The fight started out hotly contested, and the intensity never let up. Vargas seemed to win the first two rounds, but by the fourth round, Miura seemed to pull ahead, scoring a knock-down and fighting with a lot of confidence. After brawling the first four rounds, Miura appeared to settle into a more technical approach. Rounds 5 and 6 saw the pendulum swing back towards Vargas, as he withstood Miura’s rush to open the fifth round and the sixth round saw both men exchanging hard punches.

The big swinging continued, and though Vargas likely edged Miura in rounds 5 and 6, Vargas’ face was cut in at least two spots and Miura started to assert himself again in rounds 7 and 8. Miura was beginning to grow in confidence while it appeared that Vargas was beginning to slow down, and Miura appeared to hurt Vargas at the end of the 8th round.

Vargas turned the tide again at the start of the ninth round, scoring a knock down with an uppercut and a straight right hand that took Miura’s legs and sent him to the canvas. Purely on instinct, Miura got back up and continued to fight, but Vargas was landing frequently and with force. Referee Tony Weeks stepped in to stop the fight at the halfway point of round 9 as Miura was sustaining a barrage of punches.

Miura still had a minute and a half to survive if he was going to get out of the round, and it was clear that he was not going to stop fighting.

A back and forth battle of wills between two world championship level fighters, Takashi Miura versus “El Bandido” Vargas wins the 2015 Fight of the Year.

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Articles

Jan 9 in Germany – Feigenbutz and De Carolis To Settle Score

Published

5 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

This coming Saturday, January 9th, the stage is set at the Baden Arena in Offenburg, Germany for a re-match between Vincent Feigenbutz and Giovanni De Carolis. The highly anticipated re-match is set to air on SAT.1 in Germany, and Feigenbutz will once again be defending his GBU and interim WBA World titles at Super Middleweight.

The first meeting between the two was less than three months ago, on October 17th and that meeting saw Feigenbutz controversially edge De Carolis on the judge’s cards by scores of (115-113, 114-113 and 115-113). De Carolis scored a flash knock down in the opening round, and he appeared to outbox Feigenbutz in the early going, but the 20 year old German champion came on in the later rounds.

The first bout is described as one of the most crowd-pleasing bouts of the year in Germany, and De Carolis and many observers felt that the Italian had done enough to win.

De Carolis told German language website RAN.DE that he was more prepared for the re-match, and that due to the arrogance Feigenbutz displayed in the aftermath of the first fight, he was confident that he had won over some of the audience. Though De Carolis fell short of predicting victory, he promised a re-vamped strategy tailored to what he has learned about Feigenbutz, whom he termed immature and inexperienced.

The stage is set for Feigenbutz vs De Carolis 2, this Saturday January 9th in Offenburg, Germany. If you can get to the live event do it, if not you have SAT.1 in Germany airing the fights, and The Boxing Channel right back here for full results.

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Articles

2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

5 years ago

December 29, 2015

The Sweet Science

On May 9th of 2015, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez delivered a resonant knock-out of James Kirkland on HBO that wins the 2015 KO of the Year.

The knock-out itself came in the third round, after slightly more than two minutes of action. The end came when Alvarez delivered a single, big right hand that caught Kirkland on the jaw and left him flat on his back after spinning to the canvas.Alvarez was clearly the big star heading into the fight. The fight was telecast by HBO for free just one week after the controversial and disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight, and Alvarez was under pressure to deliver the type of finish that people were going to talk about. Kirkland was happy to oblige Alvarez, taking it right to Alvarez from the start. Kirkland’s aggression saw him appear to land blows that troubled the young Mexican in the early going. Alvarez played good defense, and he floored Kirkland in the first round, displaying his power and his technique in knocking down an aggressive opponent.

However, Kirkland kept coming at Alvarez and the fight entered the third round with both men working hard and the feeling that the fight would not go the distance. Kirkland continued to move forward, keeping “Canelo” against the ropes and scoring points with a barrage of punches while looking for an opening.

At around the two minute mark, Alvarez landed an uppercut that sent Kirkland to the canvas again. Kirkland got up, but it was clear that he did not have his legs under him. Kirkland was going to try to survive the round, but Alvarez had an opportunity to close out the fight. The question was would he take it?

Alvarez closed in on Kirkland, putting his opponent’s back to the ropes. Kirkland was hurt, but he was still dangerous, pawing with punches and loading up for one big shot.

But it was the big shot “Canelo” threw that ended the night. Kirkland never saw it coming, as he was loading up with a huge right hand of his own. The right Alvarez threw cracked Kirkland in the jaw, and his eyes went blank. His big right hand whizzed harmlessly over the head of a ducking Alvarez, providing the momentum for the spin that left Kirkland prone on the canvas.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez went on to defeat Miguel Cotto in his second fight of 2015 and he is clearly one of boxing’s biggest stars heading into 2016. On May 9th Alvarez added another reel to his highlight film when he knocked out James Kirkland with the 2015 “Knock Out of the Year”.

Photo by naoki fukuda

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