Quick Facts
Biography
James Derick Kirkland (born March 19, 1984) is an American professional boxer who held the regional WBO–NABO junior middleweight title in 2008. He was one of boxing's most prominent junior middleweight prospects in the late 2000s and early 2010s, until an 18-month prison stint set his career back significantly. Nicknamed the "Mandingo Warrior", Kirkland is known for being a highly aggressive southpaw pressure fighter with formidable punching power, having scored 82% per cent of his victories via knockout.
Amateur career
Kirkland has an amateur record of 134–12. and won the Silver Gloves championship four years in a row and lost on a controversial decision to James Patterson in the finals of the National Golden Gloves.
Instead of going to the Olympics, Kirkland turned professional to provide for his family.
Professional career
Kirkland turned professional in August 2001 in San Antonio, Texas. In his debut Kirkland defeated fellow debutant Maurice Chalmers with a third-round knockout. Kirkland has been trained by former women's champion Ann Wolfe since 2001. On November 22, 2008, Kirkland (24–0, 21 KOs) won an 8th round technical knockout versus Brian Vera (16–2, 10 KOs). Kirkland dropped Vera twice in Round 2. On March 7, 2009, Kirkland defeated Joel Julio on HBO's Boxing After Dark at the HP Pavilion in San Jose by TKO after Round 6.
Return to boxing
On March 5, 2011, Kirkland returned to the ring after an almost 2-year layoff to defeat Ahsandi Gibbs via first-round KO. On April 9, 2011, Kirkland faced Nobuhiro Ishida of Japan, in what was supposed to be a stay-busy fight for Kirkland. However, in a stunning upset, the previously undefeated Kirkland was stopped in the first round by the Japanese fighter, who isn't known for being a big puncher having only 7 KO's in 29 fights, getting knocked down 3 times. After the loss, Kirkland split with trainer Kenny Adams and reunited with Ann Wolfe. Kirkland and Wolfe had broken up after Kirkland went to prison.
Kirkland came back from his first-round knockout loss to score three knockdowns over Alexis Hloros en route to a second-round knockout. He entered the fight his usual aggression, looking to mix it up immediately and scored two knockdowns in the opening round. First, Hloros went down during a flurry and then he took a knee during another stream of punches.
On November 5, 2011, in a highly exciting fight, Kirkland rose from a first round knockdown to defeat Angulo via 6th-round TKO.
In addition to his aforementioned victories over Angulo, Kirkland's other notable wins have been against Brian Vera (TKO8), who just lost a controversial decision to Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., Joel Julio (TKO6) and Eromosele Albert (TKO1).
On October 16, 2013 it was announced that Kirkland, has signed with promoter/rap star 50 Cent and his company SMS Promotions and has his next fight lined up.
On December 7, 2013, Kirkland continued his winning ways with a sixth-round TKO of 23-year-old prospect Glen Tapia at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. In the article, Kirkland was described as 'potentially, the most dominant offensive force in boxing since a prime Mike Tyson'.
Kirkland vs. Alvarez
Kirkland fought former Super Welterweight Champion Canelo Álvarez after his decision victory over Erislandy Lara on July 12. The fight took place on May 9 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas with Kirkland losing by KO in 3rd round.
Professional boxing record
| Professional record summary | ||
| 34 fights | 32 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 28 | 2 |
| By decision | 3 | 0 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | Loss | 32–2 |  Canelo Álvarez | KO | 3 (12), 2:19 | May 9, 2015 |  Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas, U.S. | |
| 33 | Win | 32–1 | Glen Tapia | KO | 6 (10), 0:38 | Dec 7, 2013 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 32 | Win | 31–1 | Carlos Molina | DQ | 10 (12), 3:00 | Mar 24, 2012 | Reliant Arena, Houston, Texas, U.S. | Retained WBC Continental Americas light middleweight title; Molina disqualified after his cornermen entered the ring too early |
| 31 | Win | 30–1 | Alfredo Angulo | TKO | 6 (12), 1:58 | Nov 5, 2011 | Centro, Cancún, Mexico | Won WBC Continental Americas light middleweight title |
| 30 | Win | 29–1 | Alexis Hloros | TKO | 2 (8), 0:25 | Jul 23, 2011 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 29 | Win | 28–1 | Dennis Sharpe | KO | 1 (8), 2:18 | Jun 24, 2011 | Dr Pepper Arena, Frisco, Texas, U.S. | |
| 28 | Loss | 27–1 |  Nobuhiro Ishida | TKO | 1 (8), 1:52 | Apr 9, 2011 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 27 | Win | 27–0 |  Jhon Berrio | KO | 2 (8), 1:02 | Mar 18, 2011 | Orange County Fair, Costa Mesa, California, U.S. | |
| 26 | Win | 26–0 | Ahsandi Gibbs | KO | 1 (8), 0:34 | Mar 5, 2011 | Honda Center, Anaheim, California, U.S. | |
| 25 | Win | 25–0 | Joel Julio | TKO | 6 (10), 3:00 | Mar 7, 2009 | HP Pavilion, San Jose, California, U.S. | |
| 24 | Win | 24–0 | Brian Vera | TKO | 8 (10), 1:45 | Nov 22, 2008 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 23 | Win | 23–0 | Ricardo Cortes | TKO | 2 (10), 1:59 | Sep 5, 2008 | Music Hall, Austin, Texas, U.S. | |
| 22 | Win | 22–0 |  Eromosele Albert | TKO | 1 (10), 1:06 | May 17, 2008 | Star of the Desert Arena, Primm, Nevada, U.S. | Won vacant WBO–NABO light middleweight title |
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | Allen Conyers | TKO | 1 (10), 2:56 | Nov 30, 2007 | Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, California, U.S. | |
| 20 | Win | 20–0 |  Mohammad Said | KO | 2 (10), 2:32 | Sep 1, 2007 | Emerald Queen Casino, Tacoma, Washington, U.S. | |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 |  Ossie Duran | UD | 10 | Jun 1, 2007 | Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, California, U.S. | |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Billy Lyell | TKO | 8 (10), 0:34 | Feb 2, 2007 | Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, California, U.S. | |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 |  David Toribio | KO | 4 (8), 1:35 | Dec 1, 2006 | Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, California, U.S. | |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Sherwin Davis | RTD | 2 (8), 3:00 | Oct 6, 2006 | Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, California, U.S. | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Alexis Division | RTD | 3 (8), 3:00 | Jul 28, 2006 | Pureformance Training Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Ray Cuningham | TKO | 1 (6), 2:16 | Jun 3, 2006 | Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | David Estrada | TKO | 3 (6), 1:05 | May 5, 2006 | Lucky Star Casino, Concho, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Manny Castillo | TKO | 3 (6), 2:37 | Apr 21, 2006 | Omar Shrine Temple, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, U.S. | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Russell Jordan | TKO | 1 (8) | Nov 6, 2003 | Hilton, Washington, D.C., U.S. | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Martinus Clay | KO | 1 (4), 0:54 | Aug 22, 2003 | Silver Star Hotel and Casino, Choctaw, Mississippi, U.S. | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Sergio Soto | KO | 3 (4), 0:54 | May 23, 2003 | Lucky Star Casino, Concho, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 |  Rodney Tappin | UD | 4 | Mar 15, 2003 | Club Life, Dallas, Texas, U.S. | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Juan Carlos Aranday | TKO | 3 (6), 0:35 | Jan 31, 2003 | Randy's Ballroom, San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Edgar Pedraza | UD | 4 | Oct 11, 2002 | Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Rashaan Abdul Blackburn | TKO | 3 (4) | Sep 12, 2002 | Nation, Washington, D.C., U.S. | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Jose Luis Rodrigues | TKO | 1 (4), 1:35 | Jul 13, 2002 | The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Maurice Chalmers | TKO | 3 (4), 2:20 | Dec 9, 2001 | Crockett Center, Austin, Texas, U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Juan Jaime Rodriguez | KO | 1 (4), 0:46 | Oct 26, 2001 | Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas, U.S. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Maurice Chalmers | TKO | 3 (4), 1:49 | Aug 25, 2001 | Sunset Station, San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | Professional debut |
Outside the ring
As of 2009, Kirkland was on probation for an armed robbery conviction in 2003, for which he spent 30 months in prison.
On Sunday, April 19, 2009, Kirkland was stopped in Austin traffic and arrested for possession of a firearm by a felon, with a possibility of prison time if he is convicted. On Wednesday, September 23, 2009, Kirkland was sentenced to 24 months in prison after pleading guilty to the firearm charge. Kirkland was released from prison in September 2010 and spent several more months in a halfway house in Austin, Texas.
In June 2013, Kirkland was again arrested - this time for assault - and jailed in Texas. Ring observers believe that these legal troubles will negatively impact Kirkland's career.