Will the heavy-handed James Kirkland (32-2, 28 KO) win the Miguel Cotto Sweepstakes?
According to BoxingScene’s Steve Kim, James is now a formidable next-fight candidate.
“I turned it over to Eric Gomez at Golden Boy,” Kirkland’s attorney, Mike Miller, told BoxingScene.com.
“He is starting the process of negotiating the fight. Golden Boy and 50 (Cent) would be involved on our side so it’s only fair that everyone’s on board and everyone’s aware of what’s going on and I’ve talked to James several times and he’s definitely interested about the potential of that fight. Are Miguel Cotto and fellow fight legend Juan Manuel Marquez on a collision course? if so, would Kirkland be the right opponent for Miguel in the interim?
Last May, current middleweight champion Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) scored a jaw-dropping third round knockout over James in an all-out, action-packed brawl.
It was a star-making performance and a bout fans won’t soon forget.
The blood n’ guts warrior fans have grown to love over the years, Kirkland didn’t disappoint and immediately swarmed his foe at the opening bell. Drama set in early and the action would ensue until the knockout two rounds later.
Should they fight, Cotto would be a considerable favorite but James is not an opponent anyone should take lightly. At 32-2 with 28 knockouts, Kirkland boasts an 82 percent knockouts-to-fights ratio, joining Gennady Golovkin and Deontay Wilder as one of the few active big name fighters with a KO percentage above 80. And while James hasn’t shown the polish of Golovkin and Wilder, his punching power, pound-for-pound, is certainly comparable.
Heavy-handed underdogs like James are always one punch away from upsetting more poised, more accomplished foes, even when far behind in the fight.
Will Team Cotto take the risk?
