Philaflava.com ::

Philaflava wrote:im trying to reminder if FMJ ever had a fight i gave a fuck watching.

Tweak Da Leak wrote:Lol he basically did the Devon Alexander gameplan which completely shut out Maidana in their fight

Did you guys want him to pound his chest and march to the center of the ring, exchanging blows with a heavy handed puncher whose only chance to win was KO?

Statesman wrote:This is it for James Kirkland.

His career is riding on what happens Saturday night.

A statement win over Canelo Alvarez before an expected crowd of 35,000 at Houston’s Minute Maid Park will transform him in boxing circles from a recognizable face into a superstar.

A loss will end his world championship dream.

Here’s the oddity in all of this: Kirkland should have already been a world champion by now.

“I’ve been wanting this opportunity,” Kirkland told me. “It’s been slipping from my hand for so long.”

The 31-year-old Austin product should be cherry picking his opponents and cashing million-dollar checks for each title defense, but poor decisions — in and out of the ring — have kept him from fully breaking through to enjoy the fruits of international fame experienced by fighters like Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and the guy he’ll face in the ring Saturday night.

The 154-pound clash with Mexico’s Canelo Alvarez will be the biggest night of Kirkland’s career. Alvarez, 24, has lost only one of his 46 fights — against the guy who just beat Pacquiao last weekend in Vegas. He represents the second most dangerous opponent in Kirkland’s 14-year career.

The most dangerous? Kirkland himself.

The Mandingo Warrior’s career has been characterized by spectacular in-ring performances that have made him a favorite of action fight fans and HBO Boxing, which fell in love with his style that was reminiscent of another great American action fighter who had problems outside the ring, Mike Tyson.

Kirkland’s biggest problem has always been between his ears. In 2003, he was sentenced to three years in prison for armed robbery. After getting out and becoming a world title contender with Ann Wolfe as his trainer, he was sent back to the joint for two years after a gun charge in 2009.

All told, those five years away from boxing left millions of dollars in potential earnings on the table. His lawyer/adviser, Michael Miller, told me years ago that he had laid out a plan for Kirkland to retire with $5 million in the bank at a relatively young age, but his client’s lapses in judgment proved detrimental.

Yet here Kirkland stands with a chance to take to a monumental step into the stratosphere of boxing’s highest earners. The question is, after a 17-month layoff between fights, can he successfully navigate the minefield that is Canelo without Wolfe, who loved talking about bringing out “the dog” in Kirkland?

“I take nothing away from Ann,” he said. “She was an awesome strength and conditioning coach. There were certain things I wanted to add for this particular training camp and there were things I wanted to work on that I wasn’t going to get dealing with Ann Wolfe.”

Kirkland (32-1) and Alvarez (44-1-1) will do what Mayweather and Pacquiao failed to do — give us the real fight of the year. Neither is particularly interested in taking a step backward, which should add up to fireworks.

“This is a sure knockout type of fight,” said Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya. “Whether Kirkland knocks out Canelo or Canelo knocks out Kirkland, it’s going to be one of those fights.”

Kirkland envisions a win bringing him the type of lifestyle that superstar status has afforded Alvarez, whose $21 million in earnings last year placed him 66th on Forbes’ annual list of the world’s highest-paid athletes. Canelo lives in a six-bedroom, $6 million mansion in San Diego, owns two Lamborghinis and prepares for fights in his massive garage that’s been converted into a boxing gym.

Meanwhile, Kirkland has made really good money after growing up in poverty in East Austin before being taught the sport by Pops Billingsley and later by Wolfe. But he isn’t as financially comfortable as he would like, mostly due to his past legal woes and poor business decisions. A win would bring with it the promise of a higher tax bracket and vault him into the elite level of the sport.

Now working under the banner of rapper 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions and training with relative boxing unknowns Rick Morones and Bay Bay McClinton in San Antonio, Kirkland sees this fight for what it is: a last chance to make a run at a world title.

“I definitely feel like I have a lot to lose,” he said.

This is it.

SATURDAY’S FIGHT
James Kirkland (32-1) vs. Canelo Alvarez (44-1-1), 8 p.m., HBO

chump change wrote:kirkland needs to learn some defense.. so much potential.. hopefully he pulls it together

Kid That's Lifeless wrote:

chump change wrote:kirkland needs to learn some defense.. so much potential.. hopefully he pulls it together

Wasn't he supposed to blow up like 5 years ago? Dude's gotta be at least 30. I wouldn't count on it.

Four of the five men to beat Muhammad Ali were trained by Eddie Hutch. This fascinating video explains how Futch instructed his fighters to exploit the flaws in Ali's style.

AXEWOUNDFISTER wrote:no one watches boxing any more huh?