LIKE many people, when the Canelo Alvarez-Amir Khan fight was announced, I thought it was a step too far for the Englishman. But once it had all sunk in I wondered if Khan might know something the rest of us don’t.
The Mexican has been fighting comfortably at 154lbs for a long time, and his step up to middleweight has only effectively been by one pound due to the catchweight. Khan has been at 147lbs for a while now, which is only half-a-stone difference, and unlike the smaller guys, that should not be the problem many people are claiming it will be.
However, I do believe there should have been a hydration clause, and a check weight on the day of the fight as the IBF insist upon (Canelo-Khan is sanctioned by the WBC). I’d even suggest the check weight should be 8lbs rather than the 10 that the IBF stipulate. Even so, Khan still has a decent chance to win.
The more I think about it, the more I think he can pull off the upset. Some pundits and critics point to Khan being “chinny”. Well, I don’t agree. While some fighters will take a hard shot and drop for the count, Khan always gets back up, or doesn’t even drop at all. Okay, Breidis Prescott ultimately flattened him in his first loss, but against Danny Garcia he was up and fighting at the time of the stoppage, and he stood up to some fearsome shots from Marcos Maidana, among others, before going on to win.
Khan is still a young man, and not shop-worn – perhaps he should have been busier in recent years though – and in a long fight, he can give Alvarez so much trouble. Khan has got to be busy, move Canelo around the ring, and put those fast hands and feet to good use. It’s vital, though, that Khan doesn’t take a gung-ho attitude into battle, and resist the urge to prove his machismo if he’s tagged, otherwise Canelo will fill his boots.
By the time May 7 comes along I might be even more confident in my predictions, and after picking Tyson Fury and Carl Frampton to win in their recent big fights, I could get myself the hat-trick.
