James Kirkland is not hanging up the gloves just yet
Well folks, like it or not, super middleweight boxer James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland (34-3, 30 KO’s) is not going anywhere. When last in the ring with Juan Macias Montiel on December 26, 2020, Kirkland suffered his third professional loss. In those three losses, the Mandingo Warrior went to the canvas a total of nine times.
His premiere loss to Nobuhiro Ishida was a complete shock due to Ishida’s general lack of overall punching power. The Canelo knockout was stunning in its ferocity. Yet, it was this final bout with Montiel that seemed to be his career’s final death knell. Contrary to what others may think however, Kirkland believes that he has a lot left in the tank. Not only is he not going to retire, the once thrilling fighter believes he has another title run in him.
NEVER SAY DIE!
In a recent interview with Curran Bhatia, the Mandingo Warrior obliterated any notion that he was stepping away from professional fighting.
“[On the notion of retiring] No time soon! The only part about this whole thing is the recovery, like why I didn’t recover the right way? Why they looking at me like ‘hey man, he washed up! He done gave it all he got, this isn’t his class anymore. This isn’t something he’s tied up into anymore.’ This is exactly what I want to do! This is exactly what I like to do!
“…at this point I definitely want to grab a world title. I definitely want to be able to take on the people that are actually in my division, the top! And I want to be initially labeled as one of the spotlight fighters of this decade.”
LET’S DO IT AGAIN?
In each occasion that Kirkland was stopped, his famed chief second Ann Wolfe was absent from his corner. This has led many to believe her subtraction from his camp has been the Texans biggest detriment. Wolfe, a former professional boxer herself, has long been known to be a deadly serious, no non-sense type of person.
Her training techniques as a head coach seemed more designed to illicit a confession rather than train for battle. Yet her grueling and highly unorthodox regimens appear to have gotten the best results out of her charge. So, it is only natural to theorize that their reunion would be the most strategic next move for the Texan; even more so if Kirkland intends on making some kind of blitz in the fourth quarter of his career! From the sounds of it this though, this union is far from re-solidified.
“It’s crazy because I had so many people come to me with that initial question and I recently spoke with her. It’s like a brother and sister situation, where you don’t see one another for a long time…we like two peas in a pod, like picture perfect. But she is working on things and I am working on things, but you never know how things work. I am definitely looking forward to talking with her and trying to see what we can do to move forward.”
By: Bakari Simpson
