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By Nick Bellafatto Ringside
In the main event of the evening before a spirited sell out crowd at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, hard hitting Argentinian welterweight Marcos “El Chino” Maidana (34-3, 31 KO’s) would do what he does best, hit hard. The victim, a game Josesito Lopez (30-6, 18 KO’s) of nearby Riverside whom he would stop with a flurry at 1:18 of the sixth round.
In the process “El Chino” picks up the WBA Intercontinental welterweight title to fight another day. “I was totally confident I could knock him out,” stated a jubilant Marcos Maidana. “He underestimated my power. He punched me in my hip in the second round and the pain lasted for two rounds. Josesito is a tough fighter, but he still has some things to learn. I want to fight the best at 140 or 147 pounds.”
Although it was clear Maidana’s blows would visibly shake Lopez anytime he landed flush, by no means was it a one sided affair. Josesito would have his share of moments as well, rallying in the latter half of the third frame with some flurries of his own to perhaps steal the round while at the same time driving the crowd into a frenzy.
Round 4 would see Lopez pick up where he left off, to even force the fearsome Argentine backwards in an unexpected turn of events. This perhaps due to Marcos being affected by the hip shot in question. But then things would once again turn Maidana’s way, as in the second half of round five he would begin to once more connect with authority.
Then came round six where “El Chino” would yet again land with an overhand right, a blow that had been effective in the early going, to this time drop Lopez to his knees. Smelling blood in the water, an aggressive Maidana would back Josesito into a corner to connect with several more thudding shots. This would prompt referee Lou Moret to at this juncture intervene and protect Lopez from further damage.
Stated Josesito, “I felt like the stoppage was premature. He hurt me a little but we’re professionals and we fight in situations like that. I got stunned but I was not down for the count. He landed good punches but it was definitely not enough to close the fight. I hope to fight at 147.”
Lara stops Angulo in the tenth due to a broken orbital
For the tough as nails Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo (22-3, 18 KO’s) to turn his back the result of the same combo’s he’d been hit with by # 1 rated Cuban Erislandy Lara ((18-1-2, 12 KO’s) practically all night long, something out of the ordinary must have happened. And it did.
Angulo would suffer a broken orbital bone in the tenth round from a 1-2 combination delivered by Lara, causing referee Raul Caiz Sr. to all but call an immediate halt to the proceedings. The time, 1:50 of round ten in a scheduled twelve-rounder. And for his efforts, the highly skilled and much avoided Erislandy Lara would pick up the vacant WBA interim junior middleweight title.
And as to what would transpire during the bout where at one point the pro-Angulo crowd took to doing the wave, outside of “El Perro” dropping Erislandy in rounds four and nine with left hooks, the first knockdowns of the Cuban’s career, it was all Lara. Covering up when necessary, Erislandy would otherwise use the ring to pick his spots and run Angulo in to the visibly appealing blows that he had predicted he would land all along.
In essence, Lara overall looked like a master craftsmen in comparison to Angulo who rather resembled an apprentice. And although “El Perro” did some good body work here and there, he really needed to let his punches go in bunches anytime he got in range. This is something that the native of Mexicali, Mexico was inconsistent at doing, perhaps the combined result of a lack of hand speed, as well as an inability to effectively cutoff the ring. Of course Lara’s elusiveness didn’t help Angulo’s cause either.
All told, Erislandy Lara who perhaps should have already been given an opportunity to fight for a major title, is now in a position to face either unified junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, or even Floyd Mayweather Jr. should Floyd defeat “Canelo” in their September meeting. Former three-time world champion Miguel Cotto is also a distinct possibility for the Cuban, as Miguel has been mentioned with regularity as of late. Only time will tell.
Charlo registers UD over Hopkins
To open the televised portion of the tripleheader, undefeated WBC Continental Americas junior middleweight belt holder Jermell Charlo (21-0, 10 KO’s) of Houston, Texas would be awarded a unanimous decision verdict over Demetrius Hopkins (33-3-1, 13 KO’s) of Philadelphia, PA. The final tallies after 12 rounds of boxing would read 115-113 all the way around.
In victory Charlo obtains Hopkins USBA title in what was for the most part an uneventful contest that drew mainly boo’s from those in attendance. This was no doubt due to the fact that both men had virtually appeared as mirror images of each other. That’s to say each combatant not only boxed from a distance, but they were both looking to land identical punches, while their defensive skills were quite comparable.
In essence neither man would gain much of an upper hand, nor did they seem to want to by pushing the envelope or taking any chances. But with Charlo perhaps being pushed along by those who matter, he would win out in a bout that could have easily been called a draw or otherwise.
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