By Dan Ambrose: Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer is hoping to put together a rematch between #9 WBC junior middleweight contender Alfredo Angulo (22-2, 18 KO’s) and James Kirkland (31-1, 27 KO’s). Kirkland stopped Angulo in the 6th round two years ago in November 2011 in a fight that saw both guys hit the deck in the 1st round.
Angulo gassed out badly after trying to score a quick knockout and he never got his second wind and ended up taking a bad beating before the fight was halted in the 6th.
Kirkland has fought only once since then, beating Carlos Molina by a controversial 10th round disqualification bout last year in March. Kirkland fought poorly and looked to be on his way to losing the fight when the referee suddenly stopped the fight after the 10th round when Molina’s corner stepped inside the ring after the bell had sounded the end of the round following a controversial knockdown.
Kirkland was offered a fight with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez last year, but Kirkland’s surgically repaired right shoulder wasn’t healed enough for him to take the fight.
Schaefer said to RingTV “We offered James Kirkland a rematch with Alfredo Angulo, so we’ll see what he’s going to say. If would be a great fight.”
Kirkland has missed a lot of action in the last four years, missing two years of action between 2009 and 2011, and now missing a one year from March 2012 to February 2013. Kirkland needs to get back in the ring soon because his career is just stagnating. He reportedly is looking to get out of his contract with Golden Boy, so it’ll be interesting to see if he agrees to the Angulo fight.
Kirkland matches up well with Angulo because of his superior speed and work rate. This would be a good fight for Kirkland to take in order to get back in the thick of things immediately. If Kirkland can beat Angulo, then it’ll get him ranked again and put him in position to get a big money fight with WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
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