Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime
Saturday, March 8, 2014, live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV, Canelo Alvarez (42-1, 30 KOs) and Alfredo Angulo (22-3, 18 KOs) go “Toe to Toe.”
Each man is looking for redemption after losing in their last bouts–Canelo against Floyd Mayweather and Angulo against Erislandy Lara.
The pressure is undoubtedly on Canelo because he is the younger, more marketable fighter who according to many could be the face of boxing for the next 10 years.
A loss to Angulo certainly puts a wrench in those plans.
For “El Perro,” this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. A win would derail Golden Boy’s cash cow and catapult him into the mainstream of boxing.
Who will be crowned Mexico’s true champion?
Also on the card are Jorge Linares (35-3, 23 KOs) vs. Nihito Arakawa (24-3-1, 16 KOs), Jermall Charlos (17-0, 13 KOs) vs. Carlos Molina (22-5-2, 6 KOs) and Leo Santa Cruz (26-0, 15 KOs) vs. Cristian Mijares (49-7-2, 24 KOs).
Read on for Round By Round Boxing’s staff predictions for Showtime pay-per-view’s quadruple-header.
[table id=1 /]
Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime
Jorge Linares vs. Nikito Arakawa
Gabriel Polanco, Contributing Writer
Jorge Linares, coming out of the asylum that is the Japanese fighting circuit, will be taking 1/2 half of the most entertaining fight of 2013 in Nihito Arakawa. Arakawa lost in the most appealing way possible, an all out war with Omar Figueroa. This fight to me is just a guilty pleasure, Linares should win, but you never know which Linares will show up, the one before Juan Carlos Salgado or after. Either way, I believe his overall power will be the deciding factor in beating the lighter punching Arakawa.
Prediction: Linares
Lenin Acevedo, Photographer
This should be good warm up bout and definitely a roller coaster fight. Nihito Arakawa has incredible chin resistance and decent punching power. He should give Jorge Linares a tough fight. On the other hand, Linares needs to come out fighting a cerebral fight. Constant movement and continuously popping the jab, keeping Arakawa at bay, should win this fight for Linares.
Prediction: Linares
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
This fight seems to be a can’t miss, in-the-trenches type brawl. We’ve seen both men bleed and give it their all in the ring and something tells me they’ll be willing to lay it all on the line once again on Saturday night. I like Linares’ athleticism and punching power to give him the edge against tough-as-nails Nihito Arakawa. This fight could certainly steal the show.
Prediction: Linares
Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime
Leo Santa Cruz vs. Cristian Mijares
Gabriel Polanco, Contributing Writer
Leo Santa Cruz is like the energizer bunny, he never stops throwing. Christian Mijares is also a very good fighter, he has a who’s who on his resume that shows he is more than capable at the world level. But I cannot honestly see the former Super-Flyweight beating Santa Cruz. Actually, I cannot see anybody that isn’t named Guillermo Rigondeaux beating Santa Cruz. I don’t see this fight going past the 10th as Santa Cruz will go to the body early and the head will of course fall toward the latter rounds.
Prediction: Santa Cruz
Gino Garcia, Contributing Writer
This matchup seems to be a no brainer. I see Mijares coming out strong in the first 4 rounds, however the patience of Santa Cruz will overcome throughout the later rounds- Santa Cruz wins by UD.
Prediction: Santa Cruz
Lenin Acevedo, Photographer
56 bouts mean a lot of rounds and experience under a fighter’s belt and can very well play into a fighter’s advantage, but it’s also a double edged sword. Cristian Mijares is an old 32 year old with a lot of mileage on his legs. I don’t see him making a trip to the final round. In his last fight Leo Santa Cruz was triumphant, but showed difficulties closing the gap against a mover. If he has learned the necessary skills, he should win this fight. I predict a late round TKO.
Prediction: Santa Cruz
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
If you’re a fight fan, you have to like Leo Santa Cruz. He stays active–on the calendar and in the ring–and he’s one of the best two Super Bantamweight’s in the world. In Cristian Mijares, he’ll be facing a game opponent who has beaten–and lost to–good competition throughout his career. Santa Cruz was disappointed that we wasn’t able to score a more spectacular win in his last outing so I’ll think he’ll kick it up a notch in search of a knockout.
Prediction: Santa Cruz
Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime
Canelo Alvarez vs. Alfredo Angulo
Gabriel Polanco, Contributing Writer
In the main event of the SHO Sports PPV card, Canelo Alvarez takes on what could be his strongest oppenent yet, in Alfredo Angulo. GoldenBoy Promotions made this fight in a hope for brining excitement back to Canelo’s fans who were a bit backhanded after watching his abysmal attempt to beat current boxing King, Floyd Mayweather. With Angulo’s style matching Canelo’s style, on paper it should be a great match, but there is don’t in my mind that Canelo can beat “El Perro.” Angulo brings a pressure type fight to you and does not stop, unless his orbital bone turns into the size of a damn pumpkin! Can the once crowned, “future King of boxing,” stand up to that pressure? I am not entirely sure. Nonetheless, not enough doubt has suken into my mind and I have Canelo getting a decision in what will be his toughest fight to date, a fight that will be laced in scary moments for both fighters.
Prediction: Canelo
Gino Garcia, Contributing Writer
Canelo vs. Angulo may just be a candidate for fight of the year. Both fighters coming off a significant loss- this fight holds a lot of stakes. I think Angulo’s eagerness to track his opponents will land him in some serious trouble on this card. If Angulo can settle down and pace the fight, he has a chance at going the distance. Im certain that this bout will be explosive with hard landed shots on both sides. In my opinion, it’s likely that Canelo will land a crisp counter – followed by a series of combinations to the body that will end the fight early.Canelo wins by KO no later than round 6.
Prediction: Canelo
Lenin Acevedo, Photographer
I’m not too hyped for this fight. Don’t get me wrong, it’ll be an exciting one, but my question is this; what will a win for Canelo really prove? Canelo will be the victor of this fight for sure. I’m not doubting or taking anything away from Alfredo Angulo, we all know he can knock mountains down, but it all comes down to whether Angulo is a one dimensional fighter. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure him out. He’s a classic Mexican style fighter whose style has been outdated and surpassed by a newer more cerebral Mexican style of boxing. Canelo might’ve learned a lesson from the best boxer in the world, and I think he’ll deploy it in this fight. I see Canelo fighting a smart fight, toying with Angulo and occasionally making it a “casual fan friendly fight”, but ultimately cruising towards a decision win.
Prediction: Canelo
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
Originally, this matchup didn’t spark my interest, but looking at it now, it does have some intriguing qualities. Even after a one-sided loss to Floyd Mayweather, Canelo is still being billed as Golden Boy’s future. But, a loss to a less than mainstream contender like Alfredo Angulo and the whole “future of boxing” tag will certainly be lost. Canelo has a serious fight in front of him against a hungry fighter who welcomes any and all challengers. I think that the difference in this fight will be the corners. If the going gets tough, Eddy Reynoso and company have shown that they don’t know how to adapt. Reynoso offers nothing in the form of gameplan and strategy and often times it seems as though Canelo is just following his own instruction–which he probably thinks he’s good enough to do. Perro on the other hand has the top-notch Virgil Hunter on his side who hasn’t only introduced a new, tough training regimen, but he’s also provided Angulo with quality sparring. According to Hunter, he hasn’t tried to change Angulo’s style. Instead, he has spent time trying to enhance the skills that Angulo already brought to the table. The underdog is a live dog and I think he walks away with a huge upset.
Prediction: Angulo
