His list of ring foes reads like a Hall of Fame roster. That’s why he retired with six losses.
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One more thing. Khan will not have fought for almost a year when he steps into the ring. However, Alvarez could bulge up to more than 170 pounds, and it is still a huge gap for Khan’s target mass. Amir Khan wants to be great, Canelo wants to be great. Smart move? Probably not, since Lemieux was destroyed by Golovkin.
World Boxing Council (WBC) lineal middleweight champion Saúl “Canelo” Alvarez has finally found an opponent, with word that he will be facing Amir Khan this coming May 7.
‘But as soon as Eddie said that people turned on me. De la Hoya is right. Golden Boy Promotions are planning on holding it at the new 20,000 capacity T-Mobile Arena, due to open off the Las Vegas strip in April.
The deal was signed on Tuesday, at a contracted weight of 155 pounds. “Canelo is the biggest star in the sport and as he demonstrated against James Kirkland and Miguel Cotto previous year, he is only getting better”. Since then, Amir Khan has exploded onto the global sports scene. It will be an exciting fight.
Khan said: “I’ve got too much pride to go into the fight thinking someone is going to beat me or just for the money”. The matchup between the Mexican and British superstars wasn’t on anyone’s radar in the boxing fan and media communities, and despite the near-constant rumor mongering that often seems like the life blood of the boxing business, the fighters and promoter somehow kept the negotiations under wraps until all the paperwork was done, a boxing rarity if not an absolute first.
Speaking of Khan’s spectrum, he is no doubt one of the welterweight fighters in boxing today. “It’s a massive fight and a chance to prove how good Amir Khan is”.
But one person, at least, is confident that Amir Khan can defeat Saul “Canelo” Alvarez – and that person is Amir Khan. Khan has more speed than anyone Canelo has ever previously faced, faster hands than even the sublime Floyd Mayweather Junior. Khan, whose lack of power makes slick boxing a necessity, has made a career out of frustrating opponents.
“Floyd Mayweather didn’t want to fight him”.
De La Hoya has a job to do. It will still move forward. It shows he has the balls and he’s willing to fight anyone. I really believe it will bring the best out of me.
Whether Canelo-Khan becomes one of those “biggest fights” remains to be seen. Disappointed but not discouraged, Khan faced Danny “Swift” Garcia in July 2014 for a chance to become a world champion once more but was stopped in the fourth round. Whether the size difference comes into play also remains t0 be seen. We saw that against Maidana.
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Kovalev (29-0-1, 26 KOs) was asked about a possible fight with former super middleweight champion Andre Ward. I’ve fought in Las Vegas three times, but normally I’m top of the bill. “”I think we need to be a little bit impressive to keep the crowd on our side.””. Like Pacquiao, Khan’s fighting style can be frustrating to Alvarez. He’s not a runner. “That is the only reason I’m taking this fight”.
