Vladimir Hernandez makes Alfredo Angulo look old in upset victory

Alfredo Angulo was a heavy favorite against last-second replacement Vladimir Hernandez, but time proved to be his biggest enemy.

When he thought he was fighting Caleb Truax on Saturday, Aug. 29, in an IBF super middleweight title eliminator, Alfredo Angulo said that Abel Sanchez helped him find the fountain of youth.

Unfortunately, he looked all of his 38 years of age when he stepped into the ring against replacement opponent Vladimir Hernandez.

The drama started on Thursday night of fight week. Truax experienced an illness, which FOX PBC stated was related to dehydration.

“Caleb Truax was originally scheduled to face Angulo but was forced to withdraw due to effects of dehydration,” said PBC FOX in a press release.

Hernandez (12-5, 6 KOs) came in as the replacement and looked like a big underdog on paper. Instead, he used his youth against Angulo.

In a media call when Truax was still on the card, Angulo said, “Abel Sanchez really has a fountain of youth. I feel rejuvenated, and I think the clock has been turned back. My only focus is on working hard and giving the fans a great fight.”

Angulo (26-8, 21 KOs) looked like a restored fighter when he upset Peter Quillin in September of 2019, but that magic faded against Hernandez.

Hernandez pressed Angulo to start round 1. Angulo escaped and mounted a brief offensive, but he stayed in the guard and ate a lot of punches. Hernandez let his hands go and teed off on Angulo’s head with hooks. Angulo turned southpaw but didn’t land much.

Alfredo Angulo had a strong boxing career, but his dismal performance against Vladimir Hernandez should mark the end of the line.

Angulo tried to pick up the pace in round 2, but his hands looked slow. Hernandez’s comparatively quick hands scored at will, and Angulo looked like a deer in the headlights. Angulo tried to throw, but his punches were sluggish and predictable.

Hernandez rocked Angulo early in round 3 with a lead right hook. Angulo went to the body, but Hernandez countered with uppercuts. Hernandez continued to hit Agulo in the head with combinations. Angulo didn’t have much of an answer.

Angulo picked up the pace in round 4 by landing more punches than Hernandez. He wisely invested to the body in round 5, and in round 7, Hernandez’s output dropped considerably.

However, Hernandez stayed in the fight and found a bit of a second wind. He picked apart Angulo in the early stages of the remaining rounds, while Angulo winged power punches to Hernandez’s body down the stretch. It became a repetitive pattern.

When the scores were tallied, all three judges returned cards of 98-92 for Hernandez. His faster, more accurate punches got him the win over the aged veteran Angulo.

Hernandez did Angulo a favor. He lacked the power to hurt Angulo truly, but he saved Angulo from a possible bout with IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant who would have destroyed him inside of three rounds.

Hernandez has a career-defining win, and Angulo has hit the end of the road. His slowed reflexes are evidence that retirement is the best route. Hopefully, Angulo realizes it’s time to call it quits.