Saul Alvarez and James Kirkland successfully made weight at the Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas, in front of HBO cameras. Both men came in at 154.5 pounds and looked in tremendous shape ahead of their headlining bout – the first major bout since Mayweather vs Pacquiao.
Coming into the fight, Alvarez’s record stands at 44 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw, with 31 knockouts. Kirkland will enter the squared circle with 32 wins, 1 loss, and 28 knockouts to his name.
It’s been said that these two warriors could be about to produce a classic that could re-inject some of the ‘fight’ many boxing fans had hoped for in Mayweather vs Pacquiao. (We hear your plight at BoxingBase.com.)
This could well be true as, though Alvarez is tipped to win (and likely by knockout), neither man has been seen to take a step back in the ring. This is Mexico’s finest boxing prodigy versus one tough slugger in Kirkland.
Also known as the ‘Mandingo Warrior’, Kirkland has not fought since upsetting the odds against prospect Glen Tapia 17 months ago. He will be looking to upset those odds again tomorrow night despite the significant inactivity. See our Alvarez vs Kirkland Prediction and HBO’s Alvarez vs Kirkland Preview.
The tasty chief support matchup between Humberto Soto and Frankie Gomez has now been scrapped due to Gomez failing to make weight.
Though having already raised the 140-pound limit to 145 during the week, Gomez still came in heavy at 147.5 pounds. Soto and his team will of course be devastated having worked to not only take home the win, but to also feature on the HBO block between the Mayweather vs Pacquiao Repeat and Alvarez vs Kirkland.
That’s big exposure flushed down the toilet, for sure. But it happens in boxing.
What did you think of the Alvarez vs Kirkland weigh-in and who are you picking in this fight? Will it have any problems topping May 2nd’s anticlimactic showdown? Let it all out in the comments!
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