Weekend Boxing Preview

Posted on | November 2, 2011 | No Comments

By: Patrick McElligott

Cancun, Mexico (HBO): Alfredo Angulo vs. James Kirkland, 12 rounds, junior middleweights.

At Quebec City, Canada (Showtime): Lucian Bute vs. Glen Johnson, 12 rounds, for Bute’s IBF super middleweight title.
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There are two good fights scheduled for Saturday night. Each of the two are interesting in and of themselves, and both will lead to even bigger bouts for the winners. An interesting factor is that one is almost certain to end in an early and devastating knockout, while the other could easily go to the scorecards. Let’s take a look at each fight.

The HBO fight will be explosive. Kirkland’s record is 29-1, with 26 knockout wins. Angulo is 20-1, with 17 knockouts. When guys with 87% and 81% knockout ratios meet, it is unlikely that they will put on a dull fight. In this case, it goes beyond their offensive skills.

Kirkland, 27, stands 5′ 9” tall, and has a 70” reach. The “Mandingo Warrior” hails from Texas. In his early carrer, he demonstated extreme punching power, and mowed through the inferior level of opposition from that region of the country. Besides his exciting style, Kirkland gained the attraction of the boxing community, because of his close relationship to trainer Ann Wolfe.

Wolfe was a top female boxer, who held several titles. She was considered the most powerful puncher among the female ranks. Her stunning one-round knockout of former NCAA star Vonda Ward (which resulted in Ward’s being hospitalized with serious neck injuries) remains the highlight of women’s boxing.

Wolfe’s training methods are a mixture of “old school” and creative intensity. Although they might not translate well on a large scale, she was successful in molding James Kirkland into a destructive force. In March of 2009, he fought talented contender Joel Julio, and stopped him in six rounds. Kirkland appeared to be within a year of challenging for the world’s title, when he was caught with a handgun, and incarcerated.

After about two years, a number of people – including Oscar de la Hoya – went to bat for Kirkland, and secured his release. Kirkland then went to the west coast, to be trained by one of the sport’s legends, Kenny Adams. On March 5, 2011, Kirkland restarted his career, against a relatively weak opponent, who he took out in the first round. Two weeks later, he stopped another victim in the second round. Adams was having him fight frequently, looking to get him to regain his boxing conditioning in the ring.

On April 9, Kirkland was matched in a televised fight against Nobuhiro Ishkida, from Japan. Ishkida, at 6′ tall, had only 9 knockout wins in 30 fights. However, when Kirkland attacked him in the first round, Ishkida connected with a crisp counter-punch, decking Kirkland. When James got up, he continued trying to attack, and was dropped twice more, and lost by TKO.

After this surprising loss, Kirkland returned to Texas to be trained by Wolfe. In June, he won a first-round knockout; and in July, a second-round TKO. For a variety of reasons, Kirkland does better with Ann Wolfe than with Kenny Adams, despite the fact that Adams is among the most respected trainers in the sport. (Note: My cousin’s cousin, who frequently watches televised fights at my house, is friends with Wolfe, and holds her in the highest regards. I am admittedly not familiar with her, other than having seen her KO Ward, and seeing a few news reports on her training methods. My oldest brother and I had the opportunity to know Adams, though casually, years ago, and have great respect for him.)

Alfredo Angulo, 29, stands 5′ 10”, and has a 69” reach. “Perro,” from Mexico, has had more experience against a higher level of competition than has Kirkland. In February of 2008, he was matched with another good prospect, Ricardo Cortes (22-1-1). Angulo flattened Cortes in the first round.

A year later, in a good test, Angulo fought tough veteran Cosme Rivera, and stopped him in five rounds. Three months later, he fought former champion Kermit Cintron. Angulo unwisely opted to enter the ring even though he was sick. Cintron, on the other hand, came in fully prepared; although Kermit has not been consistant in recent years, he is still able to compete at the top level when he is motivated. On this night, he decisioned Alfredo.

Angulo has come back and won five in a row since then. Among those victories are knockouts over Joel Julio and Joachim Akine. However, Angulo had visa problems that resulted in his not being able to fight in the US for an extended period, and he, like Kirkland, had a period of extended inactivity. There are rumors that Angulo also had disagreements with his management that resulted in his not staying busy in the ring.

When “old-timers” talk about the quality of slugfests from the 1930s and ’40s, this is the time of fight they are referencing. Both men have explosive power, and are capable of ending any fight with a single punch. More, both are aggressive fighters, with solid delivery skills. Kirkland has an advantage in hand-speed. They are both exciting, offensive fighters. However, neither Kirkland nor Angulo has above average defensive skills, for the level of competition they are at.

Angula has said that his corner has told him to avoid his opponent’s shots, but that in the heat of combat, he doesn’t notice being hit. Thus far, he has demonstrated the ability to take a solid punch. Kirkland appears to be able to come in under punches, though he has been tagged – and stunned – in at least one earlier bout. In his lone defeat, he seemed unable to tie-up, or move in any direction except straight forward. The outcome may depend upon who connects first. Angula might be favored in this fight, but not by much.

The Showtime bout is for Bute’s IBF super middleweight title. Although he was born in Romania, Bute now lives in Quebec, and will enjoy a serious “hometown advantage” in the Montreal bout.

Bute, 31, is 5′ 1.5” tall, and has a 72” reach. His record is 29-0, with 24 knockouts. Glen Johnson is 42; he has been fighting professional since 1993. He stands 5′ 11”, and has a 75” reach. His record is 51-15-2; he has 35 knockout victories, against one TKO loss (against Bernard Hopkins in 1997).

Bute came close to defeat in his October, 2008 defense against tough Librado Andrade. Though he had a substantial lead during the first nine rounds, Andrade began landing hard shots in the final few rounds. Towards the final 30 seconds of round 12, Bute was having great difficulty staying on his feet. Andrade decked him with about 12 seconds remaining, and the referee refused to begin the count, claiming Andrade was not fully in the neutral corner. The referee’s actions saved Bute from being counted out.

Since then, Bute has scored six straight knockouts, including in an impressive return bout with Andrade. He also took out Edison Miranda with a body shot, in April of ’09. Most recently, he stopped an overmatched Brian Magee in ten; and kayoed John Paul Mendy in four rounds.

Johnson is known as the “Road Warrior,” because he has traveled the globe to fight anyone and everyone in their hometown. This is, in part, why he has as many decision loses as he does.

In recent years, Johnson has competed in the light heavyweight ranks. He has beaten top fighters, including Montell Griffin and Antonio Tarver. He also knocked out Roy Jones, Jr., in nine rounds. He held the IBF light heavyweight title for a time.

In November of 2011, he dropped down to super middleweight, as a substitute in Showtime’s “Super Six” tournament. He stopped Allan Green in 8 rounds. He then lost to Carl Froch in the semi-finals.

Johnson is certainly near the end of his career. He has lost four of his last eight fights, including two to Chad Dawson. Like many aging boxers, he has difficulty putting two top efforts in a row. However, if he maintains that cycle, he should be up for this bout.

Bute is much faster, both in hands and feet. For much of his career, he outboxed opponents; wore them down; and either finished them late, or was content to win by decision. In recent fights, he still shows the extreme confidence in his skill-level to keep his hands low, inviting shots to counter. But his counter-punches have included extremely impressive body shots. And the result has been devastating knockout victories.

Glen is a pressure fighter. He sets a pace that only the very top boxers can maintain. He has good punching power, although he depends upon wearing an opponent down.

The most likely outcome is Bute by decision. Other than the first Andrade fight, there is no evidence of his tiring in fights. He is always relaxed, and he is currently at the peak of his prime. To win, Glen will have to concentrate on landing a significant number of body shots in the first seven or eight rounds. And not simply landing them from outside: he needs to be close enough that he can use all the strength in his legs, to be lifting those punches up under Bute’s ribs. (It’s mighty hard to defend yourself – much less mount an offense – when you are having the wind knocked out of you!)

Both of these should be very good fights. Enjoy watching them.