It’s exactly why his promoter Gary Shaw suggested that strength-and-conditioning coach Darryl Hudson be brought in prior to this weekend’s fight at the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, where he faces former titlist Joachim Alcine on HBO.
"I worked with him when we both worked with Shane Mosley," Shaw said of Hudson, who has also been associated with Winky Wright, Chris Arreola and Lamon Brewster. "I was very, very impressed with all of Darryl’s work. He made Shane faster, made him stronger and I know this is the thing Angulo really needed to turn the corner." So was the impetus the loss to Cintron, or were they just projecting ahead to future match-ups against a higher caliber of opponent? "I think everybody thought that if you move on Alfredo, that is the way you win. That they’re looking at the Cintron boilerplate. I don’t really subscribe to that 100-percent," said the promoter. "But I know that I needed Angulo to be a lot more flexible and a lot quicker in the way he moves. There’s no question he can stalk any fighter but I want him to move faster on his prey."
While Angulo has heavy hands, the problem was that he also has heavy feet. Fred Astaire, he isn’t. His movement in the ring is deliberate and measured which is fine against opponents willing stand in the pocket against him. But getting fleet-footed, world-class boxers in his crosshairs on a consistent basis would be a quandary in the near future.
"I think that as time passes and we have fighters of greater quality, I have to acquire more and more skills to be able to deal with the situations that are coming," admitted Angulo, through interpreter Rogelio Simpson, this past Friday afternoon at the Maywood Boxing Club.
You can’t turn a slow individual into a fast one- remember that axiom about not being able to teach speed- but you can get someone to be less slow. Which is precisely why Hudson was called in. His job is to help Angulo reach whatever his athletic ceiling was. He says, "I always thought, personally, in observing him that his footwork could’ve been a little better. The athleticism is there; I notice that he can cut [off] the ring pretty well. So I think that’s the reason I was contacted, just to help make him a little more athletic."
So while Angulo still does many of the same drills with his long-time trainer, Clemente Medina, in the gym, Hudson has revamped the way Angulo warms up and stretches and the manner in which he executes his road work, while incorporating a series of resistance drills. Traditional roadwork for boxers consists of running at a steady, monotonous pace for six or seven miles at a time. But Hudson, who puts Angulo through his paces at the Whittier Narrows Regional Park at Legg Lake, has him go through a series of 880-meter sprints (all run between 2:15 and 2:20) after running around the park for a few miles. Hudson believes the way most boxers train, cardiovascular-wise, is outdated.
"Because that’s not the proper energy system that these fighters use," Hudson explained. "It’s aerobic; boxers use every energy system that they have. There’s only three: there’s anaerobic, anaerobic-glycolytic and aerobic. But predominantly, they use anaerobic-glycolytic. So it’s not trained properly in the form of running, when it comes to running and agility drills and so forth."
In between his 880s, Hudson has Angulo put on an apparatus that is best associated with Evander Holyfield, where he throws punches while holding onto two handles that are attached to bands which are strapped along his back and shoulders, providing resistance.
After the running portion of their early morning workout is completed, Angulo then puts on a belt which is then hooked to a rope that is held by Hudson (almost like putting a dog on a leash). Angulo then goes through a series of movements with Hudson pulling against him.
"It’s for his footwork, the spacing in-between his feet; I thought it was very close- he likes them close because he thinks it helps him sit on his punches better," explained Hudson. "What he’s developed, in spreading his legs, is lowering his center of gravity a little more now. And he’s moving laterally in different directions now, a lot quicker with the resistance behind him. It tricks the nervous system; it works different energy systems that I talk about. It does a number of things."
Hudson has also used his leash while Angulo has hit the pads with Medina at the gym.
The final exercises Hudson puts Angulo through are with the medicine ball, which the boxer is forced to thrust the ball with quick bursts consecutively for 50 yards. As soon as he releases the weighted object, Angulo quickly chases it down and repeats the process. Angulo throws the medicine ball both behind his head and in front of him, always bending at the knees with proper posture and exploding through his movement.
"A lot of core strength, a lot of different core muscles that we try to focus on, the turning of the punch, sitting down and turning different directions, the slipping, just moving the core in different directions is very important, so I try to strengthen it in different ways," said Hudson, in explaining the hurls of the medicine ball which mainly work the abdominal area.
In these sessions, weights are not present. Not a single dumbbell or barbell to be found anywhere. Weightlifting had been taboo in boxing for years but, in recent years, more and more boxers adhere to some form of weight training. But there is a growing trend of athletes using alternative methods to increase their speed and strength.
Hudson says," Weights can be used but what I do is what I call a ‘functional system of training.’ It fits what the fighter does and it should always fit. I’m not taking away from his natural ability to move. The main thing is doing all these different things with the different implements just to make him stronger but, at the same time, be functional in your movement. Much of what Hudson believes in is rooted in his background in track and field. Much of what Angulo has done for the past eight weeks is used by football players preparing for the NFL Combine and sprinters.
So can they see the results?
"Definitely," said Medina, "The work Darryl has done with him, Alfredo has improved and he’s going to be a lot faster for this fight coming up." He added, "He’s strong by nature already but we needed something else to improve his speed, his fastness and we work as a team," which has been key.
There have been many times when strength-and-conditioning coaches have clashed with old-school trainers who are reluctant to change and implement new ideas. Hudson has said in the past, without the full cooperation of a Dan Birmingham, his work with Wright would not have been as far-reaching or effective. "Clemente was very objective and open to everything I suggested from day one when we first met." And he had complete buy-in from his newest client. "Angulo, after a couple of days with him, he looked at me and told me, ’You like to work; you know what you’re doing; you work hard and I’m going to allow you to do your job. You will see your work in the ring.’"
According to Hudson, Angulo’s work ethic is Bo Derek- in other words, a ten. Hudson derives great pleasure in working with a client who is so compliant and cooperative, unlike some other boxers we won’t mention here (Y’ know, a certain tubby heavyweight from Riverside…).
"It’s a happy feeling because a true person loves to come to work. If you’re doing something you love- which I love doing this- having someone as willing as Angulo, who allows me to do my job and who appreciates the work I do and trusts me to do my job; it’s just a happy feeling," he says.
So in two months time, is Angulo a better athlete?
Hudson answers, "My job is to look at an athlete and pull out of that athlete the potential that’s there. Everybody, I think, has a certain level of potential of athleticism that’s untapped or untouched. I’ve been able to do that with him. He’s more athletic than he gets credit for. He’s very strong- we already knew that- but he’s much more or an athlete than he gets credit for."
But this is still a process. Whatever upside Angulo has athletically will most likely be tapped in the future after a few more training camps with Hudson.
"That’s why we started early. Because the first fight, you’ll see some improvements. But as we go [forward with] the improvements from this training camp, you will see more in the next fight because he knows he’ll be accustomed to doing some of the things I want to do. He’ll be improved in certain areas that we’re trying to improve him in and now, we can intensify the level of training."
So will we see a new-and-improved Angulo this weekend?
“Perro” says simply, "You have had the opportunity to be here in the preparation with Darryl and you can see that I’m a lot faster with my legs and my hands."
VIVA PUERTO RIIIIIICOOOOOO!
It was a pretty entertaining card brought to you by Showtime this past weekend from Puerto Rico, where Nonito Donaire stopped Hernan Marquez in eight rounds and WBO featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Lopez halted Bernabe Concepcion in two exciting innings. Some thoughts...
- Don’t know if this was mentioned at the post-fight presser in Puerto Rico but the reason why “The Filipino Flash” went southpaw, for much of the fight, is that he had a hip condition that made it much less painful for him to box as a port-sider. But, as you could clearly see, while he can box somewhat effectively left-handed, he is much more pleasing to watch when he’s in his orthodox stance and lets his hands go. However, I still think he needs to tuck that chin in just a little bit.
- OK, it’s time for Donaire to get a marquee fight. The word is that they will try and make a fight with bantamweight titlist Fernando Montiel and, if not, he can go all the way up to 122 and face beltholder Steve Molitor in the fall. Regardless, it’s more than past due. Under Top Rank’s umbrella, Donaire has faced a litany of midgets and no-hopers and hardly anybody of note. As much as I like him, I think any pound-for-pound ranking he gets (some as high as number four), to me, is extremely premature.
I’d like to see just how good he really is or can be.
- “JuanMa” is a lot like Felix Trinidad, isn’t he? From the gregarious personality to the exuberance he brings into the ring to his Kool-Aid grin, he is very similar to “Tito,” in those respects. And he’s also a guy that will hit the canvas here and there- which is precisely why he’s so fun to watch. It’s that vulnerability he has that makes his fights so compelling. His willingness to take some risks and not just put it on cruise control behind his smooth skills is why he is the next Puerto Rican star.
- Speaking of which, yeah, I know there is a fight about ten minutes from my home at the Staples Center on September 18th with Shane Mosley and Sergio Mora but I’ll see you guys in Vegas on that date when Lopez faces Rafael Marquez at the MGM Grand.
It’s not even a tough choice, is it?
TALE OF TWO WELTERWEIGHTS
It was the best of times and the worst of times for two welterweight hopefuls on the most recent edition of “ShoBox” from Atlantic City. Mike Jones remained undefeated by stopping Irving Garcia (with a shot that was below the border but really just hastened the inevitable) and, in a pretty sizable upset, veteran Lanardo Tyner halted the streaking Antwone Smith in eight rounds.
I think Jones has all the physical tools and he’s built like a 21st century ‘47-pounder but I just wonder if he has enough aggression to really be a star. J. Russell Peltz says that they have several options they can go with, regarding Jones, but it’s just my opinion that he’s still not ready for the upper echelon of the welterweight class just yet.
As for Smith, from what I’m told, he was ill prior to the fight and threw up more than once on the day of the weigh-in. Am I being fed excuses? Who knows? Either way, it’s tough to pull out of a fight (especially when you’re being televised) that close to the event. I will say this, Smith didn’t seem to have his usual strength and foundation and it was shocking to see him get beat at his own game by Tyner. But hey, that’s why you fight the fights (even, at times, when maybe you shouldn’t).
But one boxing veteran said of Smith and his plight, "Hey, if he’s really sick, he’ll eventually get over this and show it was just a bad night. Or, you’re fortunate that you found out that maybe your guy wasn’t as good as you think."
DECEMBER IN DALLAS
There is some talk within the Top Rank brain trust of matching Kelly Pavlik with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on December 4th in Dallas at Cowboys Stadium. One of the factors in having this become a reality is how Chavez Jr. looks on his next fight, which will take place on September 25th.
His new trainer, Freddie Roach, isn’t sure Junior is ready for such an assignment and wants to see how he performs in their next fight with a full two-month camp.
GOLDEN PROBLEM
The boxing industry is buzzing over the recent suspension of Golden Boy Promotions by the New York State Athletic Commission. What was discussed by Thomas Hauser, a couple of weeks ago, was broken wide open by George Kimball of TheSweetScience.com in this article that came out on Saturday:
http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/8156/exclusive-golden-boy-promotions-suspended-commission/
I don’t think I can add too much to what Hauser and Kimball have already stated on this manner.
It doesn’t pass the smell test, does it? I think Golden Boy should have an opportunity to defend themselves. But let’s say they are guilty as charged; weren’t they the company that rode in on a golden horse and proclaimed that they were going to revolutionize the way business was done in boxing and clean it up? The whole premise of this was that they were antithesis of the likes of Don King and Bob Arum.
All I know is, if you put Don King’s name in that article with those allegations, the lynch mob would already be out in full force and a congressional hearing would be convened.
But they may not have been alone here. Remember, one of the questions Hauser raised was why a fight between Victor Ortiz and Nate Campbell was given a price tag of $750,000 by HBO. While “just” a network, remember this: HBO helped form Golden Boy Promotions after Oscar De La Hoya left Top Rank following his first loss to Mosley in 2000. In the beginning, it was exclusivity on HBO Latino (remember that?) and now they enjoy an output deal with them. In many ways, they are joined at the hip.
Don’t think for one second that HBO wouldn’t be complicit in such a thing. Just remember how much certain members of their front office (namely, one Kery Davis) stuck up for Murad Muhammad while he was paying Manny Pacquiao pennies on the dollar. And Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer has referred to this network as “strategic partners.”
There is a great irony in a company founded by fighters that was going to protect their clients, being sanctioned in what is believed to be the biggest breach of the Muhammad Ali Act thus far.
FINAL FLURRIES
Big win for John Molina in stopping Henry Lundy. But I still think he’s a guy that needs a lot more seasoning. But it turns out that Molina was just the second dumbest fighter in that ring on that night...Teddy Atlas called it; the World Cup final was going to be low-scoring. That man knows his futbol...I think Raul Carrillo, who improved to 7-0 with 6 knockouts, can be a fun fighter; he stopped Joel Vargas this Friday night on “Solo Boxeo” in an entertaining scrap...Long live Bob Sheppard, the New York Yankees’ “Voice of God”...Has it really been 20 years since the last All-Star Game in Anaheim? I can still see Bo Jackson blasting his home run to lead off that game prior to my senior year at Montebello High School...I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com and you can follow me at www.twitter.com/stevemaxboxing. You can also become a Facebook fan of Maxboxing at www.facebook.com/MaxBoxing.
