Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions
Well, there is life after Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao, and Canelo Alvarez vs. James Kirkland is just what we need to lift our spirits. In one corner we have Alvarez, affectionately known as Canelo, or @CaneloPower on the ‘Gram. Despite one loss to Mayweather that blemishes his record, I still consider Alvarez a rising star in boxing. Besides being a crowd favorite, Alvarez brings sharp skills and excitement to the ring whenever he fights.
In the other corner is James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland, a relentless knockout artist who won’t take no for an answer—he wants to see you go down, ASAP. Kirkland has had his share of struggles outside the ring but inside the ring, he too only has one blemish on his record with the rest being victories, mostly by knockout.
We’ve seen Canelo’s boxing finesse be tested by fighters like Mayweather and Erislandy Lara. And while Canelo has shown he is not quite a boxing purist, he can certainly box a hell of a lot better than the brawlers he’s come across. Yet, Kirkland may go down in the books as one of Canelo’s toughest competitors, simply because his power and aggression is a sight to be seen.
Don’t expect a full on war, though there will be plenty of action for you fight fanatics. Canelo isn’t reckless like Kirkland, and he likes to mix his boxing and brawling talents in the ring. You can, however, expect Kirkland to take the fight to Canelo wholeheartedly, to seek and destroy. Kirkland’s determination might be enough to put Alvarez in his place. We should not forget that Canelo has nearly three times as much experience as his opponent, which might be enough to smartly control the beast that is Kirkland.
Tale of the Tape
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Canelo Alvarez may be younger than James Kirkland, but he has nearly three times as much experience as his opponent to make up for it. A few differences aside, the tape shows us Canelo and Kirkland have two similarities worth noting. Both fighters are the same height and have practically the same reach. Canelo’s half-inch reach advantage is small but important for him when he wants to work on the outside.
Reach, in terms of outside boxing, doesn’t mean as much to Kirkland because he doesn’t do his work on the outside, or even use his jab to set up his inside work. He likes to come straight forward and occasionally throw his jab as an afterthought.
Both fighters being identical in height will make for an interesting match up between Canelo, an orthodox fighter, and Kirkland, a southpaw. Working on the inside can be quite awkward when two opposite stances clash. On the inside, Canelo’s arm reach may feel a lot shorter to Kirkland than Kirkland’s feel to him because Canelo’s inside punches are so crisp and calculated.
Neither Canelo nor Kirkland appear to have extremely long torsos, so it will be interesting to see how each of them works to find the body without getting caught by each other.
Main Storylines
Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions
Much of the buzz surrounding Kirkland’s return to the ring was about who would be in his corner. Kirkland has had a long, off-and-on relationship with former trainer Ann Wolfe. Together they have had nothing but victories, though she will not train him for this fight.
Rick Morones Jr., a San Antonio native, is now the trainer preparing Kirkland for the biggest fight of his career. Few will forget Kirkland’s only loss was without Wolfe, which makes fans practically superstitious about who trains Kirkland. However, Morones explains his goals for coaching Kirkland.
“It’s up to him to say, but I think he was looking for more of the boxing. James felt he needed change, and felt he needed more in this fight,” said Morones. “We want to keep the same James Kirkland, the one fans want to see. We want to keep that same animal mentality, but also to just have him be smarter in the ring.”
Kirkland sounded focused during a media conference call a few weeks ago. You can tell by what he says that he understands the pressure to prove to himself and the world he can stand on his own two feet.
“I definitely feel like I have a lot to lose and a lot is on the table for this fight…I am a force of nature that overrides. With heart, my heart is bigger. When it comes to will, no one has my determination. With speed, no one has my speed. When people ask about it, it is a fight you don’t have to worry about. Canelo and I will meet in the middle of the ring and that is where it will all take place.”
During the same conference call, Canelo sounded confident as always, expressing that he understands the power and danger Kirkland brings to the able. This, Canelo insists, will not stop him from winning the fight.
“Kirkland is very dangerous because his punch is very powerful, very extreme. His punches come from all angles. But, mostly his power, he can beat a fighter with one punch. My goal is to fight the best in the world and the fans get what they want. Independent of the styles, I want to fight the best. We are preparing knowing what we have in front of us.”
“He crazy. He f—ing crazy,” said SMS promoter Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson, on why Kirkland is difficult to keep up with. “They usually don’t give you all of the footage of a world war. But you’re going to get a chance to see one when you tune in.”
Strengths For Each Man
Canelo Alvarez
Photo by Josh Hedges/Getty Images
Many people (including 50 Cent) are expecting this bout with James Kirkland to be a slugfest, but I estimate the fight will be about 50 percent boxing, 45 percent inside work and 5 percent brawling. Canelo Alvarez has a greater command of boxing than Kirkland, and he makes up the 50 percent statistic.
Though Canelo prefers to come forward and work on the inside, his opponents often underestimate his ability to box in order to set-up his inside work and control the exchanges. He can also move fairly well for being flat-footed, which also pleasantly surprises his opponents.
On the inside Canelo has great skill, including his punch placement and combinations. In addition to a tight defense, he’s much quicker compared to Kirkland, and his combinations are sharper and crisper. We know Canelo has power on the outside and the inside, which is a tremendous benefit considering his other advantageous skills.
James Kirkland
Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions
Kirkland has mainly three strengths coming into this fight: power, combinations, and relentlessness. The first strength, power, almost goes without saying—it’s why Kirkland is called a knockout artist. With this said, Kirkland should have no problem gaining Canelo’s respect if he is able to land a good shot on him. If the punch is clean enough, we may get to see Canelo’s chin get tested.
Though Kirkland’s punches may be on the slower side, he can put them together once he finds his distance on the inside. Canelo likes to come forward, but it easy to play predator when there’s only prey. Kirkland is relentless in that, he will continue to keep coming forward and throwing punches no matter who is in front of him. As predator faces predator, this will be a unique challenge for Canelo to handle a pressure fighter who packs dangerous power.
Weaknesses For Each Man
Photo by Josh Hedges/Getty Images
Canelo Alvarez
Canelo Alvarez is quite flat-footed, which can detract from him moving successfully in the ring when he needs to. He’s the most comfortable when he can set and throw punches, but this ventures into dangerous territory against a guy like Kirkland. Canelo will have to decide if being at home in his flat footed stance (and potentially getting hurt), or moving around more than he’s used to is more important.
Though Canelo is known for his power, he tends to throw his punches at the same speed and intensity. When boxing or fighting, it’s important to mix up your punches in terms of type, speed, and intensity to keep your opponent guessing. He tried it against Alfredo Angulo by fainting with the uppercut and following up with a hook, and it worked. This is also important for Canelo’s stamina. By only throwing hard shots, he tires much quicker than he would by mixing it up and preserving his energy.
AP Photo/Isaac Brekken
James Kirkland
James Kirkland has a few weaknesses to consider before hopping in the ring with Canelo. Besides being a slow puncher that can be outmatched by Canelo, his most apparent weakness is his defense. Kirkland barely moves his head, if at all, and comes straight forward. Even on the inside, you can tell he’s only thinking offensively, with no regard for protecting himself.
He may be a knockout artist, but with a crisp power puncher like Canelo, who also has excellent punch placement, Kirkland can find himself on the canvas if he doesn’t think about defense going into this fight. Kirkland has been dropped before, even in bouts he’s won. Kirkland isn’t a natural boxer, but going up against Canelo he shouldn’t abandon fundamentals such as the jab. If he fights without using the jab a lot (as he normally does) he’ll make it even easier for Canelo to pick him apart.
We can’t overlook that Kirkland is entering the ring without his best asset, former trainer Ann Wolfe. The two have had an on-again-off-again relationship, though the fact his only career loss was without Wolfe, remains the elephant in the room. For this fight Kirkland’s trainer is Morones Jr.
The Winner and Why
AP Photo/Eric Gray
As entertaining as I believe this fight will be, I hardly think it will be an even match. Canelo Alvarez has a way of giving the fans the excitement they want to see while putting on a decisive performance. James Kirkland cannot be overlooked because of his power, but Canelo has him beat in enough categories to win decisively.
I found that watching each of their fights against Alfredo Angulo was very telling about their styles as fighters and how they would perform against each other. Kirkland vs. Angulo was interesting because the two of them are so similar—both powerful, slow punchers that never give up. Canelo vs. Angulo showed that Canelo could easily outbox, outwork, and outclass someone with Kirkland’s fighting style.
All fighters have their own style, and many of them never change over the course of their careers. I find that ironically, many natural fighters or brawlers underestimate the value of boxing. They think about punching hard, fast, being aggressive and coming forward, but even in a fight you can still fight smart, which is where boxing comes in. Canelo has this exact factor, where even if him and Kirkland were evenly matched across all categories, his IQ would allow him to come out on top.
