Kirkland Begins "Ruggish" Training Camp For Canelo

By Jake Donovan

It was music to the boxing world’s ears upon the announcement that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and James Kirkland will meet later this spring. The term “can’t miss” is often thrown around and usually leads to a letdown when applied to a fight, but it’s impossible to envision this matchup serving as anything other than non-stop warfare for however long it lasts.

A lot of that has to do with the fighting style of Kirkland, a free-swinging southpaw who throws every punch with the intention of crippling his opponent. That fighting spirit was well exhibited in his two biggest wins in recent years, savage knockouts of Alfredo Angulo and Glen Tapia. The latter bout serves as his last ring appearance, which came way back in Dec. ’13.

“When you see me in the ring for this particular fight after this layoff, just expect to see it all,” Kirkland (34-1, 28KOs) promised when speaking with Fox Sports 1 correspondent Jessica Rosales during Monday’s edition of Golden Boy Live in San Antonio. “From boxing, to aggression to pressure…. I come to do whatever it takes.”

Several offers came across his desk since his knockout win over Tapia, but Kirkland’s most difficult obstacle has always been the space between his ears. A knockout loss to Nobuhiro Ishida – his lone defeat to date – was also the one fight where he wasn’t with renowned trainer and legendary female fighter Ann Wolfe.

The two reunited shortly thereafter, but their up-and-down relationship has once again reached a valley. Kirkland currently remains uncertain as to whether or not Wolfe will lead his corner come fight night, a night that will come following a 17-month layoff after having turned down several fight offers in 2014.

For now, the 30-year old knockout artist isn’t worried about ring rust or who will lead his corner. It’s business as usual, with the rest to eventually sort itself out. With or without Wolfe, Kirkland makes sure to put himself through the grind.

“Camp is hard is hell,” Kirkland stated. “It's already ruggish and starting to hurt. At the end of the day, I have what it takes to get it done.”

The showdown with Alvarez (44-1-1, 31KOs) will air live on HBO’s World Championship Boxing. Alvarez returned to the network last September following a five-fight stint with Showtime and its pay-per-view arm. His last fight was a 12-round win over Erislandy Lara last July, withdrawing from a planned December showcase appearance in San Antonio - which was to air on HBO – due to injury.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox