Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (44-1-1) is set to face James Kirkland (32-1) next month at Minute Maid Park in Houston in a non-title fight. Alvarez is coming off his split decision win over Erislandy Lara back in July 2014, while Kirkland has been on a boxing hiatus since December 2013 when he defeated Glen Tapia with a sixth-round TKO.
Although Kirkland was described as 'potentially the most dominant offensive force in boxing since a prime Mike Tyson' after his win against Tapia, many believe he will suffer from his extended layoff. Andre Berto, two-time Welterweight champion, believes the rust from Kirkland’s break will negatively affect the fellow 31-year-old, explaining, "He has a puncher’s chance but Canelo is a beast."
Analysts have also expressed Kirkland’s rust might not even make a difference as the fight might not last long enough for Kirkland to get tired. If Alvarez can keep Kirkland away and land some big shots, which many believe can easily be accomplished, Alvarez could cruise to an easy knockout. The experts have Alvarez heavily-favored in the May 9th fight according to Gambling.com affiliates.
With Kirkland’s expected rust and Alvarez’s confidence coming off his Lara win, has Alvarez looked past his bout with the American and moved on to his expected fight with either Miguel Cotto or IBO and WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin? According to an interview Alvarez gave earlier this month, he understands despite the layoff, Kirkland is still a threat in the ring; "I feel good and I've been working very hard. He's one of the most dangerous fighters in this division. All the people and the media say so...we always look for the most dangerous fights."
Aside from the hype-men like Ali and others, most fighters stray away from bashing their opponents pre-fight and adding unneeded motivation, so it’s hard to gauge if Alvarez is truly concerned with Kirkland or if he is looking past him. Although Kirkland clearly has the talent and Alvarez has voiced his concern, it would be understandable that Canelo is somewhat distracted by the rumors spreading about his potential fights moving forward.
Reports have surfaced that after their bouts in May, Golovkin and Alvarez seem poised to duke it out in the ring next. Golovkin fights Millie Monroe Jr. a week after Alvarez’s bout with Golovkin and is expected to not only defend his IBO and WBA middleweight title but bookmakers believe Golovkin will absolutely dominate Monroe. The reports revealed that Golovkin wants Miguel Cotto in the ring over Alvarez, but Cotto, who is on the backend of his career, doesn’t need or want the fight with Golovkin.
Oddly enough, it’s believed that Cotto would more likely face Alvarez if the Golovkin-Alvarez fight doesn’t come to fruition; Cotto doesn’t need the money or the recognition that comes with facing Golovkin. Despite the reported love-triangle brewing between the three fighters, it still seems we will see the Golovkin-Alvarez fight later this year.
Alvarez expressed his praise for the his former sparring opponent and potential competitor, saying "Gennady Golovkin is a strong fighter. At the time, I was 20 years old. I was in Big Bear two times and those two we sparred. He was a heavier fighter therefore I was able to throw hard shots at him. Golovkin was also able to throw hard punches to me as well. It was good sparring. He's a strong fighter."
The hype spreading around about possible matchups with Cotto and Golovkin could easily distract Alvarez as analysts continue to insist his fight with Kirkland will be an easy one. Alvarez’s camp is hoping he is true to his word and is fully focused on Kirkland because although the layoff could have an effect, Kirkland’s talent provides plenty of opportunity for an upset.