Watch Canelo Alvarez's vicious KO of James Kirkland

Canelo Alvarez was on a seek-and-destroy mission tonight at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, with his opponent James Kirkland as a willing teammate in providing action and brutality on HBO.

Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KO) dropped Kirkland (32-2, 28 KO) once in the opening round and again in the third, but it was this vicious right hand that put Kirkland down for a third and final time, securing the knockout victory at 2:19 of round three.

WATCH the overhand right from @Canelo that closed the show on #CaneloKirkland http://t.co/7yP9i7fbR1

— HBOboxing (@HBOboxing) May 10, 2015

Given the status level of the fight and the legit nastiness of that shot, we may have a new clubhouse leader for the 2015 Knockout of the Year.

With the victory, Alvarez is all but certain to face Miguel Cotto later this year, as terms have reportedly been agreed to for the fight, hinging on Cotto beating Daniel Geale on June 6, which will also air on HBO.