His opponent, Jhon Berrio, is coming off losses to Peter Manfredo and Sherzod Husanov. The bout will be above 160. http://ringtv.craveonline.com/blog/129000-weights-for-kirkland-telefutura-card-on-friday <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XGcyicc_vtg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Thanks for the heads up. Best sparring I have ever seen was a few years ago when James Kirkland and Chris Henry teed it up at the Main Gym in Houston.
They beat the shit out of each other. Kirkland walked in with Ann talking shit, and he Nailed Henry often in the first round with big lefts and hurt him..but Henry really started reaching him about midway through the second. Henry almost floored him in the third with a right, and the inside action was super tough with them banging away. Shows you what a terrific fighter the lighter and shorter Kirkland is by fighting that beast to a standstill. Kirkland was probably ahead by just a bit due to sharper punching if you scored the three rounds; but the way Chris was coming on, he was going to knock James out if it was scheduled for 6, or at least really started to punish him as I indicated, he was really nailing Kirkland in the final round as James was really gassing due to the torrid pace of the fight and the added size and weight of Chris. Karl
The Colombian managed to nail Kirkland in the first briefly after getting powdered with some straight lefts, but then quit in the second round from a left that hit his gloves. He just said to hell with it and then put on a very poor acting job claiming he had been fouled. Kirkland did look soft (and big time inked now) compared to his pre-prison physique, and Ann Wolfe was not training him.
Kirkland fought (and apparently trained) like a guy who expected his opponent to fall the first time something landed. Berrio fought like a guy who forgot but later remembered that he was supposed to fall the first time something landed. Shit fight and one of the more disgraceful moments on Telefutura, which is saying something considering that Golden Boy has run the series into the ground.
I thought guys kept themselves in better shape in prison than out of it? I don't know what is going to happen with Kirkland, he doesn't have any major one-punch power, he relies on fitness and accumulation. Wolfe did always have him in insane shape and he obviously benefitted from the rather paradoxical combination of solitude and attention which he got when he was down with that "Pops" character in Texas.
Seems like a good way of describing it, as that left that preceded the "knockdown" didn't seem like it did that much damage...it did appear to be elective on Berrio's part, which sorta makes that little knee lift he did on all four a little interesting. Agreed on what's happened to this series. We'll see what Eric Morel-Martin Castillo produces in a couple weeks. There are at least a couple broadcasts I'll watch...the Eloy Perez-Daniel Jimenez fight in SF and Peter Quillin-Jesse Brinkley in late April.
He should work his way back down below 160. He's at least staying active since returning...two fights this month, another one lined up for the Maidana-Morales in a few weeks. I've never been that high on Kirkland, but he's got a style that can be entertaining when matched against the right opponent. A fight with Pawel Wolak could be a good one.
You guys are correct, Kirkland got hit way too much by this guy in the first round, and his knees did that wobble dance once as well. Kirkland will have a short shelf life at the top echelon, but I think he can win a world title. He is definitely entertaining, and gives fight fans their moneys worth. He is going to have to take this more seriously, though.
Watching some of the early rounds of the main event and I have to say, I'm not overly impressed with what I'm seeing from Luis Ramos Jr., he is getting hit a lot by the taller Jose Hernandez...who's coming off three losses and a majority draw.
There's a few links of the fight already up on youtube, here's a couple of them... <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yLU_qohdKSQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XGcyicc_vtg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
From the Little Bit that REED Saw, Hernandez Seemed to B Winning...70% of the On-Line Viewing Audience had Hernandez Winning... REED:Lok:
Interesting article on Kirkland's current situation, and his move to Las Vegas. Kirkland plans comeback fight, future without Austin's Wolfe http://www.statesman.com/sports/pro...ght-future-without-austins-wolfe-1356907.html
