HBO Boxing will air the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs James Kirkland fight this Saturday live from the Minute Maid Center in Houston, Texas. The match currently sees Alvarez a (-600) betting favorite over Kirkland, who is returning at (+450).
Following the so-called “Fight of the Century” last weekend between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, which turned into a snoozer, Canelo will have a perfect opportunity to impress a big audience with a strong showing. And going opposite of Kirkland, he has an opponent that has a lot to prove. Alvarez had sought a super fight with Miguel Cotto and he and Oscar De La Hoya, his promoter, both spoke about going head to head with Mayweather in Las Vegas on May 2.
Kirkland owns an impressive (32-1) overall record, and he brings big power as he has 28 stoppage wins. Earlier in his career he was his own worst enemy, as he did a near three-year jail term back in 2003 that killed his progress. His return in 2006 saw him making up for lost time by winning impressively and consistently, but he was again de-railed by a probation violation and another year behind bars. He quickly won two fights in a row upon his return before being stopped unexpectedly by Japan’s Nobuhiro Ishida when he was dropped three times in the first.
He last fought in December of 2013 where he stopped undefeated prospect Glen Tapia in Atlantic City, but he missed all of 2014. Prior to the Tapia fight, he had been off for roughly twenty months, so essentially Kirkland has fought once in the last three years. Despite that, at 31 years old, Kirkland has been trying to display a new found maturity, and a reunion with former coach and former two-division world champion Anne Wolfe could mean “Canelo” may be facing a very dangerous version of Kirkland this Saturday.
This is a card that will warrant a look back at the books throughout the week, as an over/under could still be posted. In addition, Golden Boy Promotions has put together a marathon sixteen fight event for this weekend, with several 10-round bouts planned, including a the feature fight at super lightweight between undefeated Frankie Gomez (18-0) and veteran Humberto Soto (65-8-2). Also on the card is former IBF World Welterweight titleholder Joshua Clottey, who faces veteran Jorge Silva (20-8-2). Making his debut in a four-round bout is Jesse James Leija Jr, the son of former world champion “The Texas Tornado” Jesse James Leija.
