Junior middleweight contender James Kirkland, who has been in a Texas prison since April 2009 after pleading guilty to gun possession by a convicted felon, will be released into a halfway house on Oct. 2 and plans a speedy return to the ring, co-manager Cameron Dunkin told ESPN.com. "I think we'll see him in the ring within two months after he gets out, maybe sooner," Dunkin said. "He's been working out. Maybe he'll be 165 when he's released. He's about 173 now. He's kept his weight under control. You may see him six weeks after he gets out." Kirkland (25-0, 22 KOs) was one of the most fearsome punchers in boxing and on a fast rise to a title shot when he was arrested near his hometown of Austin on the charge just a few weeks before a scheduled appearance on the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton HBO PPV undercard in May 2009. Kirkland, 26, pleaded guilty in July and was sentenced to 2 years in prison, well below the federal guidelines of 47 to 57 months, perhaps because of an outpouring of support at his sentencing hearing, including from his promoter, Golden Boy's Oscar De La Hoya. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=5273349
