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Promoter Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions was pleased with the event he put on last night at Minute Maid Park in Houston, and took the opportunity to throw another swipe toward last weekend's maligned Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.
"Canelo vs Kirkland on May 9 was the real Cinco de Mayo weekend fight that fans wanted," De La Hoya said after the three-round war/blowout. "We promised them a war, we promised them action, and that is exactly what they got with this fight."
Canelo Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KO) scored a vicious KO of James Kirkland (32-2, 28 KO) in the third round, but whether or not the fight was simply a perfectly-marketed mismatch, there's no question that the sort of brutality and action that many fight fans thirsted for after last weekend was on display, as Kirkland doggedly marched forward, throwing punches, and eating major shots from Alvarez.
The attendance in Houston spoke to the huge popularity of Alvarez, with an official number of 31,588 in the house to watch the first-ever boxing event at the home of the Houston Astros. Not bad for a couple of guys who were not subject of fake squealing matches on ESPN.