Alfredo Angulo pulls major upset over Peter Quillin in SD victory

Most expected super middleweight Peter Quillin to have an easy time with the much smaller Alfredo Angulo, but Angulo’s heart and tenacity won the fight.

Peter Quillin (34-2-1, 23 KOs) and Alfredo Angulo (26-7, 21 KOs) were both champions once, but that was some time ago. Quillin is 36 and Angulo is 37, which makes their hopes of winning a title in the super middleweight division unlikely, but they battled on Saturday, Sept. 21 for a chance to keep their dwindling dreams alive. The fight was much better than anticipated and finished with a surprise ending.

Quillin was a heavy betting favorite according to the Sportsbook Review with odds ranging from 7-1 to 15-1 against Angulo. At 6-foot-1, Quillin had a 4-inch height advantage over Angulo and a 2-inch reach advantage, but he couldn’t use them effectively.

Quillin hit Angulo with a right to the head early in the opening round. Angulo stayed patient, but his hand speed looked slow, and he telegraphed his punches. Angulo advanced while Quillin circled on the outside.

Angulo tried to establish the jab in round 2, but Quillin easily avoided his punches. Quillin’s footwork was sloppy as he backpedaled away from Angulo, but his left hand was sharp with hooks and jabs. Angulo targeted Quillin’s body and had success. Surprisingly, Quillin allowed Angulo to tee off on his body, which gave the round to Angulo.

Quillin and Angulo fought at close quarters to begin round 3. Both men landed, but Quillin’s hands were heavier. Angulo was more active and his hands moved fluidly, while Quillin was more robotic. It became a brawl which favored Angulo and put another round in his pocket.

Angulo’s confidence showed early in round 4. He pushed Quillin around the ring and amassed points. Quillin ran for most of the round and failed to land anything of substance. It was a surprising start, and Angulo got the better of Quillin.

Angulo punctuated the round with a right hand in the final minute that stunned Quillin. For a second, it looked like Quillin was finished, but he rallied in the last seconds.

Quillin tried to jab to start round 5, but his awkward feet put him in bad position time and time again. Angulo methodically walked him down and didn’t eat many punches for his trouble. Quillin was breathing out of his mouth and looked labored, while Angulo was relaxed.

Quillin hit Angulo with a nice right uppercut early in round 6, but it didn’t deter Angulo. Angulo continued moving forward, using both hands. Quillin walked straight back and ate many of Angulo’s punches. Angulo caught Quillin with a left hook that damaged him with a minute left in the round. Quillin’s eyes looked glassy, and he was off balance for the remainder of the round.

Round 7 was a quiet round. Both men took the round off, which allowed Quillin to score from time to time on the outside. Angulo landed another left hook with a minute left that hurt Quillin again. Quillin looked shot and had nothing that could stop Angulo’s assault.

Quillin tagged Angulo with a nice right hook in the first 30 seconds of round 8, but he couldn’t follow it up. Quillin remained on the outside as Angulo continuously moved forward. Quillin’s inability to land combinations kept him from winning the round or halting Angulo’s momentum.

Angulo’s face looked bruised in round 9, but it didn’t impact his success in the fight. He pressed forward and scored while Quillin retreated and ate punches. Quillin was in survival mode and didn’t look like he could hurt Angulo with anything.

Angulo looked fresh in the 10th and final round, while Quillin was exhausted and on unsteady legs. Quillin showed no urgency even though he was desperately losing the fight and seeing his career end. Angulo’s left hand scored low and high. He could do no wrong as every punch hurt Quillin. Quillin was lucky to end the fight on his feet, but he was light-years away from his best form. It was sad to see a former champion like Quillin look so faded.

When the scores were read Angulo was the victor by split-decision with a score of 96-94 for Quillin and two of 96-94 and 97-93 for Angulo. On paper, Angulo was the boxer that was supposed to be finished, but he traded roles with Quillin.

Both men are far away from their best years, but ironically, it’s Quillin who needs to consider retirement while Angulo has a chance to move on and fight at least one more meaningful bout.