By TMZ Sports

Junior middleweight/middleweight contender James Kirkland was arrested in Austin, Texas earlier this month in connection to a child support case ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We've confirmed ... Kirkland was taken into custody by the Travis County Sheriff's Dept. on August 8th for contempt of court for non-payment of child support.

It's unclear how much Kirkland owes -- but according to reports, he made more than $1 million for his May 2015 fight against Canelo Alvarez, which was the last time Kirkland stepped in the ring. He's also reportedly in early talks to fight former four division world champion Miguel Cotto later this year. Kirkland was also being considered as a comeback opponent for former middleweight champion David Lemieux.

Kirkland's bond was set at $15,160.25 -- which he paid. He has since been released from custody.

Kirkland is no stranger to getting arrested. In recent years he's been in legal trouble due to assault allegations and illegal firearms possession.

We reached out to Kirkland's former trainer, Ann Wolfe, for more info -- stay tuned.