Alfredo Angulo isn't exactly back to his old self, but the veteran middleweight grabbed his second straight win on his current comeback bid, stopping club fighter Hector Munoz after five rounds tonight in Los Angeles.
Angulo, 33, was a big hit with the crowd at the Staples Center, as he's maintained a dedicated fan base thanks to his all-action, hard-nosed style. But Angulo (24-5, 20 KO) also looks objectively like a fighter who is on his last legs fairly young. Never quick, he appeared slower than ever in this fight, and his punching power didn't really appear to be there, either. He was never really a one-shot guy, but it's hard to see tonight's version of Angulo beating anyone who is even a competent professional with some offensive ability. This Angulo seems like someone who would lose to James de la Rosa all over again.
Munoz (23-16-1, 15 KO) played his role, a 37-year-old journeyman who is generally signed up to lose to fighters who need to either stay active or get a relatively easy win. Angulo was both in this fight. He returned to action in June of this year after nine months off, and didn't want to spend more time on the sidelines. He also wasn't really ready for a step back up in competition, so Munoz fit the bill.
A bloodied Munoz stood up to Angulo's pressure pretty well, but was dropped in the fifth round and was retired from the fight after that frame. It was pretty much a gimme for Angulo, the positive take being that he did indeed do what he was supposed to do, what he had to do against a guy like Munoz. Too many punishing fights may have made "El Perro" a glorified opponent himself these days, but you can never question his effort or his heart, and he did the work this evening. So there's that, anyway.