James Kirkland: The moment Alfredo Angulo put Kirkland down in the first round with a vicious right, most of those watching probably thought: ?Here we go again. The guy isn?t even going to last a round.? And then, in what instantly turned into an unforgettable brawl, the slugger from Texas proceeded to prove us all wrong Saturday night in Cancun, Mexico. Kirkland survived, Angulo punched himself out in a vain attempt to finish the job, Angulo went down and Kirkland scored a stunning sixth-round knockout. Remember: Kirkland only seven months ago was stopped in one round by light-punching Nobuhiro Ishida, the apparent result of too much weight loss. The Kirkland we saw on Saturday was a force to behold. He took the best Angulo had to offer, maintained a dizzying pace, landed one damaging shot after the other and even displayed boxing skills we didn?t know he had. Kirkland?s turnaround in only three fights since the Ishida disaster is nothing short of amazing. BIGGEST LOSER
Alfredo Angulo: The irony is that Angulo was the more-experienced fighter on Saturday night. The Mexican should?ve known that he might punch himself out if he was unable to take Kirkland out after putting him down in the first round. In the end, even after an onslaught of punches, he couldn?t do so and was never the same thereafter. And it cost him the fight. He absorbed dozens of punishing blows that would?ve put most fighters to sleep, which is no surprise: We all know how tough Angulo is. At the same time, we wonder whether a fearful beating like that ? and, yes, it was brutal — could take a long-term toll. He was all but out on his feet when the fight was stopped. The guess here is that he?ll be back. He works hard in the gym. He?s only 29. And he undoubtedly is really pissed off right about now. The next guy he fights could be in a lot of trouble. BEST ROUND
Kirkland-Angulo, Round 1: The 10th round of the first Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo fight (in 2005) was thrilling because of unusually raw ferocity and a swift change in momentum. One minute Corrales seemed to be on his way out; the next he stopped Castillo. The round is one of the greatest in boxing history. The first round of Kirkland-Angulo had the same feel. Kirkland hadn?t endured a beating, as Corrales had, but he seemed to be in significant trouble when he went down from the big right. The frenetic exchange of vicious punches from both fighters that followed and the fact Kirkland turned the tables by putting Angulo down made this a classic round. The rest of the fight wasn?t too bad, either.
