Saul Alvarez vs. James Kirkland Called Off, Kirkland Injuries Shoulder

By way of Twitter, Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Journal broke the news that Saul Alvarez is again without an opponent for his Sept. 15 date, after James Kirkland injured his shoulder in training this morning.

Kirkland was set to replace Paul Williams (41-2, 27 KO) after Williams' unfortunate motorcycle accident paralyzed him from the waist down.

Either man would have been the toughest test yet to Alvarez's undefeated record of 40 victories, one draw and 29 of those victories ending within the distance.

With Kirkland and Williams unable to compete, Alvarez has one choice left, according to an earlier statement by his management, and that is undefeated WBA regular champ Austin Trout (24-0, 14 KO).

Trout faces Delvin Rodriguez (26-5-1, 14 KO) tomorrow in Carson, California. Should Trout defeat Rodriguez in impressive fashion, he could become Alvarez's next opponent.

The news-breaking tweets are below:

"

James Kirkland injured his shoulder while training this a.m. and has pulled out of his Sept. 15 fight vs. Canelo Alvarez at MGM in Vegas.

— Steve Carp (@stevecarprj) June 1, 2012"

"

Kirkland's manager Cameron Dunkin confirmed the news. "He's absolutely sick about it." Kirkland was scheduled to make around $3 million.

— Steve Carp (@stevecarprj) June 1, 2012"