Gennady Golovkin is getting plenty of publicity now as a potential opponent for WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto these days, but another prolific knockout artist may be Cotto's next foe. That is if James Kirkland can't get a deal with Canelo Alvarez.
At 32-1-0 with 28 wins via knockout, Kirkland is statistically on a similar plane as Golovkin. That makes him an extremely dangerous opponent for a fighter like Canelo Alvarez; it also makes him appealing as the type of opponent who will create an action fight. Alvarez could use a slugfest after he looked plodding in his last fight vs. Erislandy Lara, in which he walked away with a controversial split decision win.
Kirkland safer opponent than Golovkin?
"Absolutely," Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya said when asked if Kirkland was under consideration. "We're exploring every option. The next move that I'm going to do is to sit down with Canelo and his team. I will have more details as we lock down the venue, as we lock down a network, and as we lock down an opponent."
Kirkland's manager Michael Miller talked about the opportunity to face a name like Alvarez, and also said that San Antonio, Texas might be a good venue.
"That's where Canelo fought Trout, who was from New Mexico. Imagine if he fought James Kirkland, who is a kid from Austin, which is just 70 miles away from there. It would be great to have that here in San Antonio," Miller said.
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Kirkland's manager also raised the possibility of fighting Cotto if something can't be agreed upon with Canelo. "Maybe if that fight falls through with Canelo or the money's not right or whatever, then maybe we do Cotto and Kirkland," Miller said.
"With Cotto, I would say that's a fight that would be pretty interesting. If Cotto would take the fight at 160 or at 154 or wherever he would want to fight, maybe at a catchweight, then maybe that's an exciting fight."
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