Canelo vs. Kirkland: Latest Details, Comments Surrounding Potential Fight

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and James Kirkland took what some thought might be a ploy to lure a bigger fighter into the ring and turned it into a real matchup. The bout is scheduled to take place on May 2. 

Continue for updates.

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Alvarez-Kirkland Agree on Weight For Bout

Monday, Jan. 26

ESPN's Dan Rafael reports that the Canelo Alvarez and James Kirkland camps have officially agreed on a weight, and also provides the two arenas that may be the location for the fight:

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The scheduled 12-round bout, which will be at a contract maximum weight of 155 pounds, likely will take place May 2 either at the Alamodome in San Antonio or the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, De La Hoya said.

De La Hoya said the fight will be live on HBO, not on pay-per-view. 

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Alvarez Tweets Confirmation of Kirkland Bout

Friday, Jan. 23

Alvarez took to Twitter to tell everyone who he will fight next:

Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times reported confirmation and more detail:

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Canelo Alvarez and James Kirkland Discussing May Fight

Wednesday, Jan. 21

According to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, the proposed date for an Alvarez-Kirkland fight "is like a chess move":

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It is meant to provoke some reaction from middleweight world champion Miguel Cotto and, to some extent, from unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Yet, several facts -- along with subsequent reactions of several boxing authorities -- calmed the rush to theorize that the date and the network broadcasting of Alvarez-Kirkland is a grave warning sign for Mayweather’s long-awaited but unfinalized bout against Manny Pacquiao.

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Reports of Alvarez and Kirkland being deep in negotiations come just days after Oscar De La Hoya told Dan Rafael of ESPN.com that talks between Alvarez's camp and Miguel Cotto broke down:

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The deal is off the table with Cotto. They did not accept. So Canelo decided to move on. We had a deadline. We had our fifth deadline [Friday night], and Canelo has decided, because Cotto and [attorney] Gaby [Penagaricano] turned down the deal, he is obviously not going to be waiting for nobody.

He has to move on and resume his career and we have to lock down an opponent. He's still fighting May 2.

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Pugmire's report notes that De La Hoya, who is Alvarez's promoter, would have no problem moving Alvarez off May 2 if a proposed fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is agreed to for that date. It also states that a bout between Alvarez and Cotto could still happen "if Mayweather-Pacquiao gets made in the next week or so."

Considering how big a potential Mayweather-Pacquiao fight would be and how important it would be for the sport of boxing, it's no surprise that everything else has taken a backseat to what's going on with the two biggest stars. 

Alvarez-Kirkland will still create some intrigue among fans, but it will still take a backseat to any bout involving Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather.