It is rumored that on June 18th Miguel Cotto will face James Kirkland on HBO PPV. This fight is puzzling to boxing fans because both boxers are coming off losses to Canelo Alverez. Cotto lost to Canelo November 2015. Kirkland suffered a devastating knockout at the hands of Alvarez May of 2015 (if the June 18th bout is made, he will have been out of the ring for over a year.)
When asked about his thoughts on the possible fight, Freddie Roach responded candidly
“I love that fight…we’re gonna do really well.”
Of Canelo’s recent opponents, Miguel Cotto gave him the biggest challenge, excluding Floyd Mayweather Jr. who handed Canelo his lone loss. This fight was the cause of much controversy due to the fight being unfairly judged; judges’ totals reflecting 11-1 in favor of Canelo, which was viewed as inaccurate by a majority of spectators. Nonetheless, Miguel Cotto gave an amazing performance. He was able to exchange combinations with Canelo and was never dropped. It was obvious during the fight that Canelo was the heavier hitter; bigger man, bigger hitter.
James Kirkland entered his fight with Canelo very aggressive with no disregard, leaving himself open to big shots by Canelo. In the first round, Canelo was able to land squarely on Kirkland’s chin, sending him to the Canvas. From that point Canelo landed punch after punch, knocking Kirkland around with ease. Kirkland had no answer for the shots that were being thrown at him, ultimately losing by KO in the third round.
This fight has not been confirmed by HBO. If this fight is made the odds would be in favor of Cotto. Miguel Cotto has remained active in boxing while Kirkland has only fought twice in three years. Even with speculation of Miguel Cotto retiring after completing his fight contract with Roc Nation, he remains fresh in the sport. Freddie Roach feels that Cotto has “a couple more fights in him.” We will see what comes of this rumor in coming weeks.
