By Cliff Rold

An anticipated clash of proven power punchers turned into a showcase bout for one of the game’s most exciting young fighters at The Tank in San Jose, California on Saturday night.  With constant pressure and sledge hammer force, 24-year old Jr. Middleweight James Kirkland (25-0, 22 KO) of Austin, Texas needed only six rounds to run over a man only recently seen as one of the sports brightest prospects, 24-year old Colombian Joel Julio (34-3, 31 KO).  It was Julio’s second straight loss, only one fight after a failed but distance attempt at the WBO’s 154 lb. title. 

In the Tyson-esque fashion fans are growing accustomed to seeing, the black trunked southpaw Kirkland, 153 ½, raced from his corner and fired a straight left to the body.  Another straight left the head was blocked but a short, measured lead right hook forced Julio to his left.  Off balance, Julio, 154, missed with his right hand and stayed in a defensive posture, circling the ring as Kirkland stalked.  Blocking the bulk of Kirkland’s blows through the second minute of the round, an attempted exchange allowed Kirkland room to land his left and right, Julio responding with his own hard right.  In the final minute, Julio connected with a pair of lead right uppercuts but suffered a cut over the right eye.

Round two began much as the first had, Kirkland surging forward as if hungry to deliver pain to his foe.  Julio stayed relaxed, countering with right hands which snapped Kirkland’s head back.  Kirkland stayed with lead lefts to the head and body, landing one at a time until he could pin Julio on the ropes and slam hooks to the body. 

Kirkland used his jab to open up a left early in the third and soon after heated back and forth action broke out with each man landing hard from their power side.  It would take until near the minute mark for another.  A right hand seemed to stun Kirkland, forcing his back towards the ropes as Julio fired away only for Kirkland to respond with winging hooks to force Julio off of him.  The exchange saw each man take a step back before returning to more deliberate pacing down the stretch towards the bell.

The blood from the cut seemingly stopped, Julio bounced in the corner at the bell for the fourth and Kirkland’s aggression quickly brought some warnings.  Referee Raul Caiz Jr. called for a break in an early clinch but Kirkland kept winging, drawing a warning.  A lead right merely slapped at Kirkland but led to a hard right and left hook for Julio.  Playing the part of boxer, Julio stayed backing away and circling, warding off the rushes and landing the occasional hard right but also eating his share of snaring left hands.

Kirkland began behind the jab in the fifth but tasted a hard counter right which he walked right through.  His right eye swelling, the bounce in Julio’s legs was waning and even when Kirkland wasn’t landing hard, the Texan would keep contact with short hooks in close.  Another big right bounced off of Kirkland’s head in the final minute but Kirkland stepped forward, muscling Julio to the ropes and ripping the left to the body.

Kirkland landed four short hooks inside at the bell for the sixth and the bout continued its slide into one-sided beating after early competitiveness.  While still landing hard counters, they were few and far between as Kirkland refused to be anywhere but right on top of Julio.  A left hook at the bell punctuated a dominant frame for Kirkland and that would be all.

Following Julio the corner, referee Caiz appeared to be asking him if he wanted to go on.  Wearing a mask of frustration and bruises, Julio failed to argue as Caiz waved the bout closed.  The victory goes into the books as a sixth-round technical knockout win for Kirkland, his fifth straight knockout win in a career which so far has seen the judge’s cards only three times.

Kirkland thanked God for the victory before describing the path to a surprisingly dominant win.  “I just kept my press game and did what my coaches said.  Used my jab.  Keep movement.  I kind of dropped my hands a little bit, really try to lure him in you know and then rise with my shots.”

Kirkland, who entered the bout rated #1 by the WBA, #3 by the IBF and WBO, and #8 by the WBC, was non-committal about who he’d like to face next.  “Let my team decide who I want next ‘cause really anybody in my weight class I just want to stay in shape and get prepared and basically fight anyone in this weight class. 

Given Kirkland’s rating, it is worth noting the current WBA titlist is veteran Puerto Rican Daniel Santos (32-3-1, 23 KO)

The chief support bout highlighted the continuing development of a fighters whose combination of looks, style, power and demeanor may portend eventual stardom.  Fledgling 22-year old Jr. Welterweight contender Victor Ortiz (24-1-1, 19 KO) of Oxnard, California won his eighth straight by knockout, eviscerating sturdy 29-year old Mike Arnaoutis (21-3-2, 10 KO), originally of Athens, Greece and fighting out of Atlantic City, in only two rounds.

The opening frame featured more feinting then punching as each man jockeyed for position.  Near the minute mark Ortiz, 140, tossed in a glancing left and another seconds later, blocked.  Arnaoutis, 140, responded with a double jab and an attempted straight left to the stomach but Ortiz stepped out of range. 

The pace didn’t change right away in the second but when it did the fight was over as soon as it broke out.  A lead left hand at the midway point crashed high onto the head of Arnaoutis, stiffening his legs as he reeled back towards the ropes.  Smelling blood, Ortiz pounced right away.  The follow-up flurry found defensive gloves at first but a right uppercut broke through, forcing the guard of Arnaoutis down and opening him to a pair of echoing right hands.  Referee Ray Balewicz stepped in before further punishment could be issued, halting the bout at 1:27 of round number two.

“People might say this was an easy fight.  In my mind it wasn’t an easy fight,” Ortiz noted of the bouts short end.  Asked if he felt he was ready for the next level, Ortiz first deferred to his management.  “I just go as to what they say.  As of right now I can go eat some Taco Bell in a little bit.” 

Pressed further, Ortiz opened up to the future, stating he definitely felt ready for the upper echelon of the Junior Welterweight class.  “I been training pretty hard and I’ve been progressing very well.  The power is there.  The speed’s there.  The intelligence in the ring kind of shows a little too.  I have a little bit of skill…A new champion is on the rise and I’m not stopping for anyone.”

It was the third loss for Arnaoutis in his last seven bouts.  Ortiz’s lone loss came via disqualification early in his career, a 2005 disqualification in only his eighth professional bout.  Ortiz entered the bout rated #4 by the WBO and #10 by the IBF.  The WBO rating, and impressive win on Saturday night, could put him in line for a try at the winner of April’s Jr. Welterweight WBC and WBO unification clash between Timothy Bradley (23-0, 11 KO) and Kendall Holt (25-2, 13 KO).

The televised Jr. Lightweight opener may well have become similarly explosive but for an unfortunate accidental clash of heads.  In the end, 25-year old former IBF featherweight titlist Robert Guerrero (23-1-1, 16 KO) of Gilroy, California, found his second start of 2009, after sitting out the bulk of 2008, ended early by a cut opened over his right eye.  The official verdict would be a No Contest sending Guerrero and the undefeated 21-year old Daud Yordan (23-0-0, 17 KO) of Indonesia back to the drawing board.  It remains to be seen how long Guerrero will be out while the cut heals. 

Yordan came into the bout just below the division limit at 129 ½, Guerrero spot on the mark at 130.  The referee was John Shorle.

The card was televised as part of HBO’s Boxing After Dark series, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com