By Jeff Aranow: If Amir Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) can do the impossible on May 7th and defeat WBC middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to claim his title, he’s going to have a lot of options for big money fights. Khan will be buried with likely fight offers from some of the biggest names from 140 to 168.
Canelo reportedly has a rematch clause in his contract with Khan, so that’s something that Khan may need to explore at some point. However, Khan might be able to get in a fight in between the rematch with Canelo. That’s what I’m expecting to happen. Canelo-Khan will be seen by a lot of boxing fans, as the fight will be televised on HBO pay-per-view.
It’s going to turn Khan into a star overnight if he topples the Mexican star Canelo to take his WBC title.
Here are the three likely fights Khan will make if/when he beats Canelo.
Manny Pacquiao – I’m well aware that Pacquiao is planning on retiring after his April 9th fight against Tim Bradley, but I believe Pacquiao may choose to continue his career for one more fight just so that he can get a chance to finally fight Khan. Some boxing fans feel that Pacquiao ducked Khan because he was afraid to fight him. This would be Pacquiao’s chance to prove whether he has the courage to take the fight.
Floyd Mayweather Jr – The superstar Mayweather is in retirement currently after his win over Andre Berto last September. However, Mayweather is the type of fighter who can’t resist a challenge, especially against someone like Khan. Mayweather has had to endure years of being called out by Khan through the media. Mayweather never seemed properly motivated enough to take the fight with Khan, because he wasn’t doing anything with his career after his loss to Danny Garcia in 2012. But a victory over Canelo might be enough of a motivation to face Khan and prove that he’s the better fighter. If Khan defeats Canelo, then it’ll cheapen Mayweather’s accomplishment of his win over Canelo in 2013. Mayweather had the benefit of fighting Canelo at a catch-weight of 152lbs. Khan isn’t getting the same handicap in his favor. Their fight is taking place at a catch-weight of 155lbs, a weight that Canelo is quite comfortable at making.
Gennady Golovkin – If Khan defeats Canelo, then he’ll need to defend his new WBC middleweight title against Golovkin in his first defense of the belt, if Khan does choose to defend it. Golovkin is the WBC mandatory challenger, and he’s also one of the biggest stars in boxing now that Mayweather is retired and Pacquiao soon to follow him. If Khan chooses to fight Golovkin, it’ll be a tremendous fight that will attract a great deal of attention in the sports world. It would show a great deal of courage for Khan to fight the hard hitting Golovkin, because not even Canelo has gotten in the ring with him. Of the top middleweights, only David Lemieux dared share the ring with Golovkin, and he was quickly taken out in 8 rounds last October. If Khan fights Golovkin, he’ll make a lot of money and gain a lot of respect from fans. I think Khan won’t be able to resist taking this fight regardless of what ultimately happens.
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