| Fight Name: | Canelo Álvarez vs. James Kirkland |
| Fight Date: | May 9, 2015 |
| Location: | Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Fighter1: |  Saúl Álvarez |
| Nickname1: | "Canelo" |
| Hometown1: | Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico |
| Purse1: | >$3,500,000[1] |
| Record1: | 44–1–1 (29 KO) |
| Height1: | 5 ft 8 in |
| Weight1: | 154+1/2 lb |
| Style1: | Orthodox |
| Recognition1: | WBA/WBC/The Ring/TBRB No. 1 Ranked Light middleweight Former Unified Light middleweight champion |
| Fighter2: |  James Kirkland |
| Nickname2: | "Mandingo Warrior" |
| Hometown2: | San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Purse2: | $1,300,000 |
| Record2: | 32–1 (28 KO) |
| Height2: | 5 ft 9 in |
| Weight2: | 154+1/2 lb |
| Style2: | Southpaw |
| Recognition2: | Former NABO Light middleweight champion |
| Result: | Álvarez wins via round 3 knockout |
Canelo Álvarez vs. James Kirkland was a professional boxing match contested on May 9, 2015.[2]
Canelo Álvarez, who was coming off a unanimous decision victory over Erislandy Lara in July 2014, had been looking for a new opponent to fight. His team had been negotiating with several potential opponents, including Miguel Cotto, but the talks had fallen through. Ultimately, the decision was made to face James Kirkland, who had been considered a dangerous opponent due to his punching power.[3]
In March, at the official press conference, the fight was announced to take place at the Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas on 9 May, live on HBO, a week after the 2 May fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao. It marked the first fight of Álvarez's lucrative HBO contract.[4]
Kirkland came out aggressively, but Álvarez wobbled him and scored a knockdown via straight right hand in round one. In the third round, a counter right uppercut sent Kirkland to the canvas. Álvarez ended the fight with a jab to the body quickly followed by the right hand, creating the KO. Álvarez landed 87 of 150 punches thrown (58%) and Kirkland landed 42 of 197 (21%).[5] [6] [7] [8]
After the bout, Kirkland said, "I did not know I was knocked out." He was then taken to hospital to undergo a CT scan.
The fight drew an average of 2.146 million viewers on HBO and peaked at 2.296 million, the highest viewership for HBO in 2015.[9]
Confirmed bouts:[10]
| align=center | Country | align=center | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Event | |||
| Sport 1 | |||
| Latin America | Canal Space | ||
| Azteca | |||
| RPC | |||
| BoxingTV | |||
| BoxNation | |||
| HBO |