Kirkland Released From Prison: Who To Take On Next?

Texan James Kirkland was released from prison to a half-way house last week. He was arrested for arms possession as a felon in April of 2009. Kirkland had served two years for an armed robbery conviction in 2003, before he was released on parole, then violating it last April.

Kirkland had gone to a gun show and tried to purchase a firearm, when undercover agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms appeared. In Texas, a felon in possession of a firearm warrants a ten year sentence. According to Kirkland, the agents allowed him to leave the show, only to follow him and arrest him. On September 30th, 2009, Kirkland was sentenced to an additional 18 months in the Bathrop Federal Prison.

Much to the chagrin of his promoters, last week Kirkland received a reduced sentence to be completed at a half-way house, which will allow him to train and fight as early as this November. Kirkland Released From Prison: Who To Take On Next?

In an interview with Gabriel Montoya, Kirkland also explained that he had been robbed at gunpoint previously.

Oscar De la Hoya explained to the press, “I know how hard he works and he’s been waiting for this moment to prove to the world that he shouldn’t be judged by his mistakes in the past, but how he fixes those mistakes and becomes a role model for young men and women everywhere.”

Among Kirkland