By Chris Williams: Amir Khan’s former trainer Freddie Roach thinks he has a good chance of beating WBA/WBC 147 pound champion Floyd Mayweather Jr (47-0, 26 KOs) next year in May if Khan gets selected for the fight.
Roach likes Khan’s hand speed and fighting style, as he believes he’s got the kind of style that will give Mayweather problems if the two of them face each other.
Khan is fighting former two-time world champion Devon Alexander (26-2, 14 KOs) on December 13th in a fight that many boxing fans believe will lead to Khan getting a title shot against Mayweather if he comes out victorious.
Alexander is not the same boat. If he beats Khan, he still likely won’t get a fight against Mayweather, because it’s believed that he’s looking for a guy who can bring in traffic. Khan, if nothing else, can bring in traffic and will likely help Mayweather draw 1 million pay-per-view buys on Showtime.
“I always thought Amir had the talent to maybe beat someone like Mayweather. I think it’s a very good fight for Amir,” Roach said via RingTV.com. “I give him a very good chance to win that fight. He’s fast, he’s athletic. He’s a pretty good puncher, not a great puncher. He has all the abilities in the world.”
With the way Khan is so predictable with his attacks, Mayweather will likely be able time Khan and nail him with shots all night long. Khan has problems with left hooks, and that’s something Mayweather will likely take advantage of.
Roach doesn’t like the constant holding that Khan is doing now that he’s being trained by Virgil Hunter in the Bay Area in California. Roach would rather see Khan fight using an in and out style rather than the way he is now.
Khan throws punches and then immediately grabs his opponents to keep them from getting off. It’s worked for Khan so far in his last three fights because the referees working those fights allowed Khan to hold. He also hasn’t fought anyone good enough to give him any problems.
Mayweather wants to fight on Cinco de Mayor on May 2nd in 2015. But if he fights on that date, he’ll be getting competition from Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto. Those two fighters will be fighting on HBO if the fight can be negotiated.
Mayweather will need a popular opponent to fight him on that date if he’s going to be able to make up for the lost pay-per-view sales he’ll be losing due to the Canelo-Cotto fight taking place on the same night. Khan might not be a big enough name for Mayweather to bring in the big ratings he’d like to see.
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