Canelo Alvarez crushes James Kirkland in three rounds to produce highlight KO

CAN

By Alex Mattis

Last night at Minute Maid Park, where the Astros usually take the field, Canelo Alvarez and James Kirkland took the mound and exchanged heaters. Much like Kenny DeNunez‘s heater in The Sandlot, they were practically daring each other to hit and the massive Houston crowd on hand hung on every swing. A massive crowd of 31,588, to be exact.

After last week’s Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown that left some wanting more, this was the perfect follow-up to appease any and all desires for boxing action. Given the history and style of the fighters involved, there was *no* way this was going to be a boring fight. Well, the two certainly did not disappoint.

Literally, from the opening bell it was go. Kirkland smothered Canelo against the ropes early and landed short, power punches that clearly caught the Mexican phenom’s attention. Canelo made the proper adjustments and was able to fight back and knock Kirkland down half-way through the very first round. Canelo continued the onslaught until the bell saved Kirkland from what looked to be an impending ref stoppage. A second round of wild brawling carried us into the third and what would be final round.

In the end, Canelo was far too much for Kirkland; landing a debilitating right uppercut that was the true end of the fight. Kirkland showed great heart and rose, only to be knocked unconscious by a right hook that Canelo threw from way out in right field (BASEBALL PUN). The knockout was so devastating in fact that while Canelo was celebrated he saw that Kirkland was still out and went over to check on him.

Immediately after the fight, James Kirkland was taken to a local hospital for a CT scan and evaluation. You have to give the man credit, though. He went out and did what he said he was going to; he brought the fight to Canelo Alvarez. Unfortunately for him, Canelo is just on another level.

Quickly, discussion turned to a potential Canelo-Cotto bout which Canelo said “makes sense” and is something fans have been clamoring for. Even MORE enticing, a possible SUPER MEGA FIGHT between Canelo and Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin. Of GGG, Canelo said “In the future, why not?” but didn’t act like he was ready to rush into a new weight class. Additionally Golden Boy’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya acted like he wanted to build a slow-simmer on Canelo-GGG and let anticipation abound.

In the co-feature bout of the evening, Joseph Diaz Jr. won a unanimous decision victory over a VERY game Giovani Delgado. Diaz Jr. controlled the fight, landing hard shots at will, but Delgado stayed on his feet and was able to make it to the final bell. Diaz Jr. is a young kid with a lot of potential.

The 7-foot Chinese sensation TAISHAN commanded the attention of the audience with his mere presence as he entered the ring. TAISHAN won a rugged majority decision over Jamal Woods. While he is worlds away from being a legitimate heavyweight, TAISHAN could be a major money-maker for Golden Boy and a source of pride for his homeland. “I’m really thrilled to be representing the millions of people of China,” he stated post-fight. During the post-fight presser, De La Hoya was very intrigued by what they could potentially do with this monster.

If you missed tonight’s broadcast, do whatever you can to catch a replay. It’s worth the effort.