By Sean Crose
Wladimir Hernandez, 11-4, stepped in – at essentially the last minute – to face the popular 26-7 vet Alfredo Angulo. For Angulo was supposed to face Caleb Truax Saturday night at LA’s Microsoft Theater, but Truax had to pull out of the bout due to dehydration. In stepped Hernandez, who had fought as recently as July.
Hernandez surprisingly dominated the first. He also landed very effectively from the southpaw stance in the second, though Angulo was able to land effectively at round’s end. Hernandez swung away in the third while Angulo was able to land heavy shots of his own. Both men exchanged in the fourth. It was turning into a consistently heavy punching fight. Both men continued to fire away in the fifth.
Never one to be held down, Angulo engaged in the sixth, seventh, and eighth. Showing just how tough he was, the man continued to move forward, showing a willingness to engage. The ninth, like most of the fight, was a very close affair. Hernandez was giving it his all, while Angulo, looking past his best, kept moving forward. It wasn’t enough. Hernandez won a unanimous decisions by scores of 98-92 all around.