Canelo vs Kirkland: TV Schedule, Start Time, Odds and Projected Winner

Saturday night is fight night at Minute Maid Park in Houston when Saul "Canelo" Alvarez takes on James "Mandingo Warrior" Kirkland in what should be a close, thrilling 12-round bout.

Neither Alvarez nor Kirkland likes to skirt around the edges of the ring and wait for opponents to force the action. Kirkland is a knockout artist, while Alvarez's pleasing fighting style and technical acumen make him one of the best bets to become boxing's next household name. 

Frankie Gomez was scheduled to take on Humberto Soto in a junior welterweight contest on the televised undercard, but the former came in 6 ½ pounds overweight, and the bout has been cancelled as a result, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael.

That fight also promised to be a crowd-pleaser. The hole on the card may put even more pressure on Alvarez and Kirkland to deliver for the fans.

Here's a look at the latest odds and viewing info for Alvarez vs. Kirkland, followed by a prediction for this highly anticipated bout.

Alvarez vs. Kirkland Viewing Info, Odds

Date: Saturday, May 9

Location: Minute Maid Park in Houston

Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: HBO

Odds: Alvarez 4-25, Kirkland 4-1

Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of Saturday, May 9 at 7 a.m. ET.


Preview and Prediction

While Kirkland may be seven years Alvarez's senior, it is the flame-haired Canelo who has more experience at the professional level. The 24-year-old Alvarez has been nothing if not prolific in his career thus far, fighting 46 times since turning pro at the ripe young age of 15.

His lone loss as a pro came at the hands of the one and only Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September 2013. It was only the third time Alvarez had fought in Las Vegas, and he went down on the cards in a bitterly tough majority decision.

Kirkland—who sports a robust 84.85 knockout percentage—also has just one loss on his ledger, a brutal first-round TKO beatdown from Nobuhiro Ishida in 2011.

Kirkland hasn't yet fought anyone of Canelo's caliber but is coming off impressive wins over then-undefeated Glen Tapia, Carlos Molina and Alfredo Angulo. While his reputation as a powerful puncher precedes him, it's been a while since he has entered the squared circle. Kirkland didn't fight in 2014, but scoring a matchup with Alvarez may prove to be worth the wait.

"Basically, I was just getting prepared for an opportunity like this, and at the same time, I wanted to learn a lot of stuff about boxing that I didn't know," Kirkland said, via Rafael. "It just goes into a lot of different things, but most definitely I'm prepared and I'm thankful for this opportunity."

With Kirkland seemingly capable of fighting only in seek-and-destroy, Terminator mode, Alvarez will have to use every bit of his defensive repertoire in this contest. Kirkland's southpaw status will only serve to complicate things for Alvarez as he throws punches from unique, varied angles.

Alvarez doesn't spend a lot of time circling the ring and making opponents chase, and now is no time to change the strategy. Since he has no real reach advantage to speak of (70.5" to Kirkland's 70"), Alvarez's ability to parry and maintain accuracy on his counterpunches will be crucial in this one.

Kirkland is more brawler than technician, but he doesn't seem to have any glaring weaknesses—at least not when it comes to traits in the ring. As Bleacher Report's Kelsey McCarson notes, Kirkland is coming into this bout without a key contributor to his success:

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But Kirkland is heading into the biggest bout of his life without Ann Wolfe, a trainer he is undefeated with. In his only appearance without Wolfe back in 2011, Kirkland suffered a Round 1 knockout to Nobuhiro Ishida.

Kirkland would not go into specifics about the approach of his new trainer, Rick Morones, but said all would be revealed on fight night.

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Kirkland also would seem unlikely to drastically alter his strategy, even against a fighter like Alvarez. Still, Kirkland may yet add a wrinkle or two to his game plan, perhaps spending less time running down his opponent and more time baiting Alvarez to venture in close.

This one has all the makings of a fight night to remember. Look for Alvarez to outbox Kirkland, landing his punches with greater accuracy than his opponent and impressing the judges with his ability to wage leather warfare with his mind and his hands.

Projected winner: Alvarez via unanimous decision