Canelo Alvarez is set to take on Alfredo "El Perro" Angulo Saturday night in a fight that could make or break Alvarez's carrer. Actually, it has more potential to break it than anything. Canelo was held up as the next great superstar, but in September 2013 received a boxing lesson from pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Erislandy Lara calls Canelo, Angulo losers
The fight broke records for revenue and eyeballs that watched it, which means all those people saw boxing's great Mexican hope humbled. Saturday's opponent, Angulo, thinks that debacle was proof that Alvarez's career's a bit manufactured.
"Canelo has a lot of fans, thanks to the work that they've done with him in the media...People do love him, and I respect him," said Angulo. "But I think that he is a boxer that has had his career handed to him. Canelo hasn't fought anyone aside from Floyd Mayweather. I've earned my respect through my fights. It's going to be a great fight."
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Alvarez responded with predictable indignation saying, "He can say what he wants," said Alvarez. "But we all know that isn't true. I really don't know a lot about him."
To say Canelo hasn't fought "anyone" is probably overstating the matter. Before facing Floyd, Alvarez defeated Austin Trout, Josesito Lopez, Shane Mosley and Kermit Cintron. That's hardly a murderer's row, but those are all opponents with big wins on their ledger.
Meanwhile, in Angulo's most recent fight he was pounded by Erislandy Lara, saving face by knocking him down twice before getting his orbital bone fractured.
Fans will find out about Canelo's heart in this fight; Angulo is on the opposite end of the boxing spectrum from Floyd in terms of style. He is a brawler who never stops advancing, and Canelo has a chance to earn a KO or stoppage while proving he possesses compelling toughness to go with his movie star visage.
If he can do that, his drawing power will likely have a chance to eclipse Mayweather's. Take it from Showtime boxing executive Stephen Espinoza, who discussed Alvarez's following.
"In Mexico City, we were staying very close proximity to where the press conference was. To realize that not only were there going to be 20-30,000 people there, but the vast majority of those people were there four, five, six hours ahead of time. Houston there were 1,000 to 2,000 people lined up outside who couldn't get in. It's not just the crowd, it's their commitment to being there."
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