Canelo Alvarez produced a fight-friendly win in Houston on Saturday night, eventually knocking out James Kirkland in a bout that lived up to expectations.
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After Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao left fans around the world disappointed, Alvarez did nothing to follow suit as he delivered a crushing blow to Kirkland in front of 31,588 spectators at Minute Maid Park.
The two fighters wasted no time going to war as they both looked to be the aggressor and land punches, with promoter and Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya comparing the match-up to the famous Hagler-Hearns encounter.
Although Kirkland threw more punches than his rival, the Mexican was more accurate as he connected with 36 of his 63 power shots in the first round alone before landing 16 of 20 in the third as he went on to stop his American opponent shortly after.
Kirkland conceded after the fight that he didn’t even know he had been knocked out, and the replays would explain why as he was caught with a vicious right hand that connected clean on his chin and sent him sprawling to the canvas.
Alvarez celebrated in his corner before returning to his foe to ensure that he had recovered as he remained in trouble, but scans later revealed no issues.
De La Hoya insisted that Mayweather and Pacquiao were now the past, as he believes that fight fans around the world witnessed the future with Alvarez improving to 45-1-1 with 32 KOs.
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