By Chris Williams: Now that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has left the sport, there remains a giant vacuum space that needs to be filled by someone that can step in and replace the talented Money man. We had hoped that former four-time world champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner would step up and fill the vacancy that Mayweather left behind, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that “The Problem” won’t be the one to take the spot.
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya believes the winner of the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Amir Khan fight will be the one that takes over for Mayweather. I think De La Hoya could be partially right. Khan has the hand speed, charisma the talent to step in and take over Mayweather’s empty throne if he can clown Canelo the way that Mayweather did in 2013.
There’s no one else right now that can take the top spot. Certainly not Gennady Golovkin. He’s too slow on his feet, and not someone with anything special about him. Golovkin lacks the charisma needed to take Mayweather’s spot. Khan has that charisma. Errol Spence, the unbeaten welterweight, could one day take over Mayweather’s spot, but it’s still too early for him. Spence is still two to three years away from being able to fill Mayweather’s shoes.
It’ll depend on what Spence does in the next few years with his fights. But with Khan, he’s ready to take the #1 spot right now if he can whip Canelo and leave him a beaten and embarrassed fighter like Mayweather did to him three years ago.
Khan will be looking to take the top spot next month at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Khan will be fighting WBC middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in a fight that will be shown on HBO PPV and likely seen by millions of fans. The WBC title means nothing for Khan because that belt will be a mere trinket around his waist should he win. The title won’t mean anything. The victory will.
If Khan humbles Canelo to put him back in his place, Khan will be the new star in boxing and will have his choice of opponents to face. Khan will probably need to fight Canelo a second time because of the rematch clause in the contract for their May 7. That’s all the better for Khan and all the worst for Canelo. If Golden Boy Promotions are smart, they’ll have Canelo walk away from the fight against Khan without fighting him a second time, because if they throw him in the ring with him a second time, they could wind up with a greatly diminished Canelo after he loses for a second time. I hope Golden Boy thinks this thing through clearly because if it doesn’t turn out to their liking, they’ll be stuck with a fighter that won’t be able to generate PPV buys any longer. Which fans would want to see Canelo after he loses twice in a row to Khan?
Khan hasn’t been a PPV fighter like Mayweather, but a win over Canelo could change all that. We saw how both Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao were turned into PPV attractions after they whipped Oscar De La Hoya in the past. I think it could turn out this way for Khan if he can beat Canelo. The world will belong to Khan if he wins that fight.
Even if Khan’s reign as the replacement for Mayweather only lasts two or three years, he’ll still be able to cash in big during that time frame. Getting $40 million paydays for his fights will be a big deal for Khan. If Khan can beat Canelo, then there’s a good chance he’ll beat Golovkin as well because he’s the same as Canelo in talent.