A lot of people seem to think James Kirkland’s chances in his scheduled May 2nd fight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez are dramatically altered on whether or not Ann Wolfe is going to be in his corner on the night of the fight. The single loss on Kirkland’s career was a TKO in the first round and on that night he did not have Ann Wolfe as his trainer. Since reuniting with her he has gone on a five win streak against decent opposition which has lead to this fight.
He has employed the services of Gerald Tucker, and this has rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way, but this should not come as surprising news to most, as Kirkland has made a reputation for himself over the years as an inconsistent character.
In an interview with FightHype famous trainer Buddy McGirt urged James Kirkland to reconsider his decision and at least allow Ann Wolfe to attend the fight and be in the corner at some capacity, even if it is in a secondary role. Sometimes in boxing you just see great chemistry between the trainer and fighter and Kirkland-Wolfe is a perfect example. You can also see this with Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach or between Andre Ward and Virgil Hunter.
In the video Buddy McGirt explains that there are cases where even if a better trainer is available, sometimes it is best to go with what you know just because that other person knows how to push your buttons and get you into gear. We have seen this connection with Wolfe before and the results speak for themselves, but at the end of the day it is down to what the fighter wants and I for one hope he is able to stretch Canelo when they meet.