For years, the notion of matching James Kirkland and Alfredo Angulo elicited giddy laughter from even the most pessimistic of boxing fans. The two power-punching junior middleweights have fan-friendly styles, scoring exciting knockouts without breaking their intimidating, stoic glares.
Their bout this Saturday, at the Centro de Cancun in Cancun, Mexico (HBO, 10:15 ET/PT), may have no title at stake, but it’s the type of dream matchup that requires no overbilling or overselling by a promoter.
Of course, the matchup has lost much of it’s appeal since it’s earliest conceptions, as Kirkland has done little since suffering a first-round technical knockout loss to Japanese journeyman Nobuhiro Ishida in April, while Angulo has cooled off considerably after being exiled to Mexico due to immigration issues, which followed a loss to the enigmatic Kermit Cintron.
Yet, in a year that has seen the term “mega event” become synonymous with the inability of high-profile bouts to meet expectations, here is a fight where the flaws and vulnerabilities of the two participants make for a potentially volatile and exciting matchup.
Kirkland (29-1, 26 knockouts), of Austin, Texas, and Angulo (20-1, 17 KOs), of Mexicali, Mexico, have demeanors that are akin to Mike Tyson and Antonio Margarito respectively, and likewise have had to overcome scandals and career lowpoints to reach this junction, which will serve as an elimination bout for the WBC 154-pound belt.
Kirkland, 27, missed two years of his career from March of 2009 to March of this year after being convicted of gun possession by a felon. While most expected him to emerge from prison like a man possessed, his performances have been uneven at times, culminating in the nightmarish performance against Ishida on the Marcos Maidana-Erik Morales undercard.
“The difference between this fight and the Ishida fight is that I’ve trained for this person,” Kirkland said during a media conference call on Monday. “I know what he’s coming with, I know what type of game plan he likes. We’ve trained to the max because we know exactly what we’re getting ourselves into, and being with Ishida, I didn’t know much about the guy and was learning how to adjust to a new trainer. That was then and this is now.”
