Angulo Knocks Out Julio on HBO’s Boxing After Dark

WBO junior middleweight interim world title holder Alfredo Angulo overcame a gritty first half challenge from hard hitting Colombian Joel Julio on Saturday night to pound out an eleventh round stoppage victory at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, USA.

Although both fighters are undoubtedly big punchers, it was thought that the shorter, straight shots of Angulo 18-1 (15) would be the more effective this evening and, eventually, that was the case. He forced Julio 35-3 (31) into retreat from the off, landing hard combinations throughout the round – a beautiful left hook/right hand sequence at the halfway point the talk of the round.

Julio responded extremely well in the second and third rounds as he bit down on his gum shield and rattled off bright sequences to the body and head in an attempt to quash Angulo’s momentum. Despite eating a pair of left hooks midway through the third, Julio peppered his opponent with well placed combinations - widely out-boxing and out-landing the favorite in comfortable fashion.

Julio’s gnat-like movement and darting, accurate attacks again dumfounded a rather flat version of Angulo in the fourth – reducing the Mexican to just a handful of hard head shots, far too little to make a dent in either Julio or the dynamic of the contest thus far.

After tagging his man with a huge right hand a minute or so into the fifth, Angulo, with fire in his eyes, bounded forward and ripped a close round in his favor by landing a slew of clean punches – all of which Julio took well. That success was a tonic for Angulo’s psyche, and he waded through Julio’s punches in the sixth to cement his best round of the fight by strafing his opponent with blistering punches to the body and head.

Nevertheless, the sandbag reinforced chin of Julio held up well and he fought back beautifully in the seventh – leading to some fascinating exchanges in an extremely close frame.

Julio’s conditioning was a marvel and he continued to pogo around the ring, ducking under and darting away from much of what a pressing Angulo threw at him in the eighth round. His offense was reduced to a trickle throughout the three minutes, however, and Angulo, constantly moving forward with both hands in action, was now clearly out-working his opponent as the contest entered the later rounds.

The left hand of a confident Angulo opened a cut on Julio’s right eyelid in the ninth round and, as Julio finally started to slow and become more of a willing target, the Mexican began to damage his opponent in the tenth and eleventh with thumping combinations.

The fight, which had begun to fall out of Julio’s reach from the seventh round, was becoming decidedly one sided as Angulo began to land more and more often and with increasing power. Midway through the eleventh, with Julio retreating to the ropes, Angulo unleashed a thunderous straight right hand that dropped the Colombian.

Julio got up late in the count but, after looking into his eyes, referee Raul Caiz Senior judged that the 25-year-old could not continue.

Time of stoppage: 1:39 RD11