James Kirkland Four Year Return, No Problem – Knocks Out Courter In First-round.

BY Scottie “The Context” White

The Erwin Center, Austin, Texas welcomed junior middleweight contender James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland ( 33-2, 29 KOs) back to the world of boxing as he stepped in with Colby Courter ( 13-15, 10 KOs)

Kirkland ring walk tonight was longstanding from his last calendar bout back in May 2015, one of Kirkland darkest bouts, a violent and brutish closer at the hands of current unified middleweight champion Saul Canelo Alvarez. Kirkland was closed out in three rounds following a trio of knock downs with the final one being lights out. It was a shot heard around the boxing communal and will spin the reels to every highlight knock-out finish.

But tonight, Kirkland was squared up versus Courter who experienced the aggressive storm from Kirkand early. Courter was dropped three times in the first round, forcing the referee to step in, calling a halt to the six-round bout.

Fans applauded their approval as Kirkland barely warmed up a fresh pair of hand-wraps, encase in a special set gloves reuniting a knock out streak for a 29th finisher. Kirkland understands the congested traffic of fighters in his divisional lane as he buckles up for another run. His previous five-fight win streak lead him to the front door of the biggest fight of his boxing career in Alvarez, so with that lose in his rear-view, he looks to gas forward to his next opponent as he shakes off any ring rust. One important detail in riding this momentum is to keep his hands up in the heat of battle, show maturity and value the dynamic reassignment of coach Ann Wolfe on the team.

Right now, Kirkland is beaming with positive vibes, a far cry for help when his career was a TNT explosion, in 2011 competing a total of six outings. During this run he somehow lose to Nobuhiro Ishida, an opponent levels below anyone competitive radar to defeat Kirkland, as he pulled off a stunning upset over Kirkland pulling off a first-round knock-out.

Kirkland, now 35 years-old, will be closely watched for the intrigued to see if he can reignite that heated barometer of interest, especially his memorable sixth-frame stoppage over tough Mexican fighter Alfredo Angulo in emphatic fashion.

Kirkland in-ring action was limited from 2012 to 2015 as he now greens up the right side of his ledger with a win over Courter. So, we wait! For the hurt business stops for no one in rotation and I’m sure with minimal damage in Kirkand return, we should see him split the ropes moving forward with a methodical selection of opposition to set up a big fight in the foreseeable future.