Canelo, Kirkland promise action in their Houston showdown (The Associated Press)

Although Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s showdown with Manny Pacquiao last week probably didn’t convert many new fans to boxing, the sport has much more to offer after that unsatisfying meeting between its two biggest stars. Saul ”Canelo” Alvarez and James Kirkland get the first chance to put on a show. The crowd-pleasing punchers both return from lengthy ring absences for a 154-pound meeting Saturday at Houston’s Minute Maid Park, where 40,000 eager fans and an HBO audience will watch the Mexican champion and his Texan challenger. ”The fans want to go see action, and these are the kind of fights where the people will leave happy,” Alvarez said through a translator.