The Mexican warrior is back in world title contention after stunning Quillin during their back and forth super middleweight encounter Saturday night on FS1.
At 37 years old, Alfredo Angulo is young again.
Yes, he is no longer in his prime, although you wouldn't have known it watching him work against Peter Quillin. Angulo has always been more brawler than boxer, whose heart and punching power made a difference. But many ring wars and time spent in an immigration detention center will age one quicker than most.
With that in mind, things were basically setup for former middleweight titleholder Peter Quillin on Saturday night in the PBC on FS1 headliner. He was a 30-to-1 favorite to beat Angulo and possibly earn another shot at a super middleweight title. Instead, Angulo won a ten-round split decision in a thrilling encounter at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, California.
It looked early on as though Angulo was overmatched. Quillin boxed him well and the difference in hand speed was vast. But in the third round, Angulo turned things around when he landed a series of big shots. Quillin all of a sudden abandoned his boxing and went into a phone booth, the kind of fight that favors Angulo greatly.
The subsequent rounds saw Quillin box on the outside on unsteady legs. The final minute of each frame saw Angulo land a big shot that put Quillin in defensive mode. Quillin's eyes were wide as he weathered the storm.
Quillin (34-2-1, 23 KOs) looked hurt every time Angulo landed a flush power shot in the second half of the fight. The former champion showed tremendous heart staying upright despite his wobbly legs. Referee Jack Reiss looked as though he was checking in closely often to see if Quillin needed to be pulled out.
Angulo (26-7, 21 KOs) could have probably got the job done more convincingly if he stopped following Quillin around in circles without firing punches while failing to cut off the ring. It made it so final punch numbers were a much different story than the action of the bout would tell you. According to CompuBox, Quillin landed 291 of 694 punches, while Angulo landed considerably less – 164 of 695.
Angulo didn't land a jab through the first five rounds, finishing 10 of 164. Quillin jabbed really well at times, totaling 139 of 344 punches. The power punches were dead even, with 154 landed for Angulo and 152 for Quillin.
"It's a lot of hard things to swallow right now taking the second loss of my career," Quillin said afterwards. He alluded to the fact that he wants to take time away from the immediate emotion to make a decision about his career.
Angulo credited his win to his Mexican heart and said the fight was for the crowd. He said it proved that he is getting better little by little. At 37, this may be Angulo’s signature victory.
Chris Colbert flattens Miguel Beltran in one round
Known more for his boxing skills than punching power, super featherweight Chris "Prime Time" Colbert (13-0, 5 KOs) delivered a brutal one-punch, one-round knockout of Mexican gatekeeper Miguel Beltran Jr.
Colbert and Beltran (33-8, 22 KOs) looked like it was shaping up to be a competitive match early in the round, with Colbert boxing and Beltran trying to get inside, touching the body. But in the final ten seconds, Colbert connected with a jab and then a searing overhand right above the ear that sent Beltran face first to the canvas for longer than 10 seconds.
Colbert is being positioned as one of the most talented young prospects in boxing, and this was a statement win for him in his fourth fight of 2019. The 22-year-old Brooklyn native is looking like the goods—and made a splash by coming to the ring in gear that paid homage to his favorite NFL player, Deion "Primetime" Sanders.
#ICYMI: @ThomasDulorme floors Williams with a big left hook at the close of the 10RD! #WilliamsDulorme pic.twitter.com/y4ZD0ntNvk
— PBC (@premierboxing) September 22, 2019
Thomas Dulorme outpoints Terrel Williams in a brawl
Welterweight fringe contender Thomas Dulorme (25-3-1, 16 KOs) is rejuvenated after delivering the first blemish to the career of Terrel Williams (18-1, 13 KOs), winning a 10-round unanimous decision in an absolute war.
Both fighters exchanged heavy blows right out of the gate, with Dulorme jumping out to an early lead. Williams rallied from time to time but Dulorme was more effective. An accidental headbutt caused a cut to the Puerto Rican former world title challenger, but it didn't slow him down. He dropped Williams in the last round with a counter left hook and seemed on the verge of stopping him, but Williams survived to the final bell. The final scores read 98-91 twice and 96-93 in favor of Dulorme.
Jesus Ramos wows crowd, KO’s Rickey Edwards in one
Kicking off the broadcast was a potential Knockout of the Year candidate. 18-year-old super lightweight prospect Jesus Ramos (11-0, 10 KOs) made a big impression, handing veteran Rickey Edwards (12-4, 3 KOs) his first knockout loss, stopping him in the third round. A sweeping left hand from Ramos found the mark on the temple of Edwards, sending him face first to the mat.
Michel Rivera stops Jose Luis Gallegos in five
Super lightweight prospect Michel Rivera (17-0, 11 KOs) stood out on the FS2 prelims, dealing defeat to Jose Luis Gallegos (16-8, 12 KOs) after referee Marcos Rosales stopped the fight at the end of the fifth round. Rivera dished out plenty of punishment, and though Gallegos took the punches well, he never looked as though he could reverse the tide.
For a closer look at Quillin vs Angulo, check out our fight night page.