Canelo-Angulo set for March 8
Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (42-1-1) will fight Alfredo 'Perro' Angulo (22-3) on March 8 from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
"The fight is done", said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer. "Signed, sealed and delivered. Two of the most exciting fighters in the sport and it will be a toe-to-toe battle. That is what we are calling the card, Toe-to-Toe."
Alvarez's choice for the March bout came down to Angulo, Carlos Molina and Erislandy Lara. Alvarez's following makes him a draw regardless of the opponent. Golden Boy went hard after Miguel Cotto, offering him $10 million to fight Alverez, but were rebuffed.
Angulo has historically come undone against each of the top level opposition he has faced, losing to Lara, James Kirkland and Kermit Cintron. Though he has KO power in both hands and is always dangerous.
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Schaefer says that the fight will be personel and believes that based on conversations he has had with both guys, there is quite a bit of animosity that could fuel the bout.
"I don't want this guy to make money off of me," stated Alvarez. That sentiment was put aside and a deal was done.
It could be a huge 2014 for Alvarez with three different dates lined up and after his one-sided defeat to Floyd Mayweather in September in his last outing, he is in a position where he needs a win to reclaim his status as one of the world's elite fighters.
Angulo suffered an eye injury in his last fight against Lara last June, in which his orbital bone was damaged. However, he's healed up from the injury and is ready to go. Angulo would of had a good chance of beating Lara if not for the eye injury, because he had knocked him down twice and was wearing him down with body shots.
Angulo is a pressure fighter who not only hits hard, he can also take a lot of punishment but Alvarez made a living picking apart similarly styled opponents in the past.
What makes this a solid fight is Angulo's abillity to knock out any opponent and we are yet to see if Canelo can take a punch at 154 and Angulo will definitely give us a clear picture of how good of a punch Canelo can take by the time their fight is over on March 8th.
On the undercard, Leo Santa Cruz (26-0-1) will defend his WBC super bantamweight title against fellow Mexican Cristian Mijares (49-7-2).