Some will tell you the true spirit of boxing died on May 2, but Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez did his best to prove that wrong on Saturday.
A week after the “Fight of the Century” turned off thousands of fans Alvarez left a smile on the faces of those who were privileged enough to see him annihilate James Kirkland with a brutal third-round knockout in front of an adoring near 32,000 crowd at Minute Maid Park, in Texas.
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The Mexican middleweight proved there remains an arrant love for a fighter who delivers pure, unadulterated violence and that type of action was in plentiful supply.
When the bell rang the pair immediately began exchanging with endless power shots delivered from both fighters.
While last week fans were given a tactical boxing match, this weekend they were given a fight.
“I believe we witnessed Hagler-Hearns all over again,” Oscar De La Hoya said. “It was action-packed, it was dramatic, and I believe Kirkland had Canelo a bit tired and maybe a bit shaken up.”
There is no doubt Kirkland was a massive underdog, yet he entered the ring with a 32-1 record, 28 by way of knockout, and a reputation as one of boxing’s most aggressive fighters.
But for as explosive as he is, his defence is virtually nonexistent – Alvarez’s punch totals proving just that.
Saul Alvarez in a 3 round destruction of James Kirkland. Here is the knockdown in Round 1 https://t.co/CKU1X9SCqM
— KO KINGS (@KOKINGS4) May 10, 2015
He landed 87 of 150 punches – an utterly absurd 58 per cent connect rate – including 60 per cent of his power shots, which dominated his output at 79 of 132. That was in just three rounds too, more than Pacquiao managed in 12 against Mayweather.
This was a brawl and while some boxing aficionados may have appreciated the slickness of Mayweather’s points win over Pacquiao, many more enjoyed the all-out war unfolding before their eyes.
In the first round Alvarez dropped Kirkland and somehow he survived. A savage right uppercut knocked him dead for a second time in the third before the Mexican destroyed him with a beautiful overhand right to send the American tumbling helplessly to the canvas for a final time.
“I did not know I was knocked out,” Kirkland said after eight minutes, 19 seconds of all-out action.
Alvarez proved he is the complete package, a boxer-puncher who showed off both in one of the most impressive displays of his career. And he needed it to be.
Having suffered defeat to Mayweather two years ago, he somewhat controversially defeated the stylistic nightmare in Erislandy Lara, a fighter with a similar skill set to Floyd, and it looked like his career was nosing off the tracks.
And so too in the opening seconds of this fight. Alvarez was pinned in the corner by Kirkland’s bull rush. Though nearly everyone in the house expected that, Alvarez, if you believe him, was not one of them.
He said it took some time to get his bearings because he wasn’t expecting such a fierce onslaught so early.
“I knew James was a strong fighter, but he did surprise me with his aggressiveness in the first and second rounds,” Alvarez said.
His promoters, De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins, briefly had to hold their breaths, because a loss would likely have killed any hope for a bout with Miguel Cotto.
Kirkland was firing huge shots at Alvarez, some of which got through, and left the two great fighters concerned.
But Alvarez showed great poise, took his time and took care of business when it mattered. Not only that he delivered what the fans had come to expect.
Should Cotto defeat the tricky Daniel Geale on June 6, Alvarez will face the WBC middleweight champion later this year.
And while Mayweather-Pacquiao may have been dubbed “Fight of the Century”, Alvarez-Cotto could well be the Fight of the Year.
“Last week was the past,” De La Hoya added. “Tonight, we witnessed the future.”
It’s hard to disagree with that.
