JAMES KIRKLAND TKO end of 6 JOEL JULIO

James Kirkland was every bit as fierce and aggressive as advertised when overwhelming Joel Julio in six rounds in Saturday’s main event on HBO.

Kirkland’s all-out aggression from the southpaw style is reminiscent of the way Frank “The Animal” Fletcher, the Philadelphia middleweight, used to go after his opponents in the 1980s.

Fletcher’s run of wins came to an end when he was outpointed by Wilford Scypion in a brutal fight back in the wonderful days when NBC TV had its series of “Crossroads” fights.

One senses that maybe Kirkland’s relentless assault will eventually founder against a resolute counter puncher, but it will take someone a bit special to beat him.

Kirkland’s will to win is immense. He refuses to be denied. It must be very discouraging to be in the ring with Kirkland because he is so incredibly willing to get in and fight. When the other man hits him hard it merely elicits a violent response.

Julio had fought for a world title at junior middleweight and was a legitimately stiff test for the 24-year-old from Austin, TX. The Colombian boxer was in trouble from the start, however, when Kirkland waded in and whacked away at him. Julio, who is accustomed to being the aggressor, found himself immediately being forced to back pedal and use the ring, which meant that he wasn’t able to set himself to deliver powerful punches. When Julio landed quick, almost sneaky right hands it was while backing up. In the one round in which he made a stand — the third — he was outpunched and beaten back. With a cut over the right eye, and the eye swollen and battered underneath, Julio was looking a forlorn figure long before he indicated that he could not come out for the seventh round.

As exciting as Kirkland is, though, one winced at the way he walked onto right hands. He seems to have the mindset of a fighter who feels he can walk through anything, but trading on toughness does not usually make for a long career.

As noted in the preview, though, Kirkland’s attack is his best defence. It isn’t easy for the opponent to box in an organised way and think things out when Kirkland is coming straight at him.

Kirkland’s right jab was impressive. His trainer, Ann Wolfe, wanted him to use the jab more, correctly feeling that if he did so he would make the fight easier. When Kirkland employs the jab he really drives it in, and he was sending Julio’s head jerking back as if his neck was on a hinge. With a bit more attention to defence, and greater use of that excellent jab, Kirkland would be an even tougher proposition — and that’s saying something.

In the chief supporting fight, I must say I was surprised that Victor Ortiz needed just two rounds to blow away Mike Arnaoutis in their scheduled 12-rounder for the vacant USBA junior welter title.

I had no doubt that Ortiz would win, but I expected a long fight, with Arnaoutis getting on his bicycle once he tasted Ortiz’s power. Unfortunately for Arnaoutis, he didn’t have the chance to be elusive. Once Ortiz hit him with that big left hand in the all-southpaw fight he had Arnaoutis out on his feet, and the follow-up barrage, which included a thudding right uppercut, brought the referee’s perfectly timed intervention.

I wrote in the preview that if Ortiz could stop Arnaoutis he would be making a huge statement, and I think he made one.

Regrettably, Robert Guerrero was a letdown in his junior lightweight fight against the Indonesian Daud Yordan, both in his performance and in the manner the fight ended in the second round. The way Guerrero appealed to the referee after getting cut over the eye was reminiscent of Hector Camacho Jr. bailing out of his fight with Jesse James Leija and Hasim Rahman declining to continue against James Toney. Would Guerrero have essentially given up had it been ruled a punch, and not a clash of heads, that caused the cut?

It seemed to me that Guerrero knew he was in for a difficult night with eight rounds to go against the confident Yordan, who rose to the occasion and was boxing very well indeed in the manner of his world-champion compatriot Chris John. The two-round ending allowed Guerrero to go home with a “no decision” result (incorrectly listed as “no contest” on the HBO graphic). It was far too early to be sure, but had the fight continued, I think that Guerrero could have been headed for an upset defeat.

Guerrero undoubtedly did the smart thing by getting out of the fight before the scorecards could be involved. He was cut severely and I am sure that the blood flow was bothering him — and even the great Julio Cesar Chavez backed out of a fight after getting cut (in the rematch with Frankie Randall).

The way the Randall rematch ended was not a shining moment for Chavez, and I think that Guerrero’s reluctance to continue will be considered disappointing, too.

When fighters reach the world-class level we hold them to high standards and tend to expect a lot from them. This can seem unfair and perhaps unrealistic, but as Max Kellerman noted in the HBO commentary, one cannot even imagine James Kirkland giving up after getting cut, no matter the circumstances and especially not in front of a home-area crowd.