Canelo vs. Khan: Is this the next Fight of the Century deception?

By Boxing News - 05/03/2016 - Comments

canelo87By Gerardo Granados: This Saturday on May 7, the fight between elite 155 pounder Saul Alvarez and welter Amir Khan, will finally let their fans know why this bout is considered as a huge mismatch by a couple of long time fight fans. The betting odds are extremely close at 4 -1, but that doesn’t make the fight more even.

With the WBC Middleweight belt at stake and the Lineal status for the winner of this bout, it should already had caught the interest of all fight fans around the world, but it seems that if it wasn’t for the constant hype on major TV media and by on payroll boxing analyst, then only the fight fans who follow boxing on diary bases would know the correct magnitude about it.

A friend of mine challenged me to say something positive about the Canelo vs Khan bout. He bet to me that I would fail, because according to him I am envious of both Canelo and Khan millionaire life style. So, I replied to him, the very same thing Wladimir Klitschko said in the first press conference of his Tyson Fury rematch.

It has been a year now, that a really huge number of fight fans, paid $100 notes to watch a boxing exhibition instead of an epic battle. After the fight ended, many of those fans weren’t pleased, but the outcome was predictable since the bout was signed. Same happens with the Canelo vs Khan bout, but it seems those same fight fans haven’t learned anything from past mistakes.

Back in 1972 when Jose Mantequilla Napoles challenged Carlos Monzon the WBA – WBC Middleweight title was at stake. Monzon is regarded as one of the all time greatest middleweights and Napoles as one of the very best welterweights.

Cuban born then naturalized Mexican, Jose Mantequilla Napoles had the full package, great power, solid chin, speed, technique, high ring IQ, footwork, experience, also fought against great opposition… but size does matter.

Just as we could see in his fight against Monzon, Mantequilla had the speed and mobility edge on Carlos and was able to out-punch and out-land Monzon in the first two or three rounds but once Monzon timed and got range on Napoles he started landing clean solid punches that broke him down on the fifth and sixth rounds until Napoles failed to come out for the 7 round.

I won’t dare to compare the quality of Napoles and Monzon to the one of Canelo and Khan have. I just want to exemplify how a smaller boxer can be really skilled but when he moves up in weight he can still be very skilled but size will be a key factor when that boxer fights against an also talented strong natural bigger foe.

To the readers who recall the name of Sugar Ray Robinson moving up from welter to middle to defeat Jake LaMotta, please don’t dare to make any comparison of the “St. Valentine´s Day Massacre” to next Saturday night fight.

I wonder if the beating that Khan will take will affect him later on in his career, because I don’t see him quitting anytime during the fight. Meldrick Taylor had incredible hand speed and great overall boxing skills, but he was never the same after the beating he took against Julio Cesar Chavez. If Khan is in trouble I sure hope trainer Virgil Hunter does not allow him to take an unnecessary beating like trainer Lou Duva did on Taylor.

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I doubt Khan will stay at the new 155 division, so if he moves back to 147, how will it affect his body. When Roy Jones Jr moved up to the heavyweight division and dominated John Ruiz and then moved back to 175 something happen to him, it’s like he lost strength and his ability to take a punch. And as the reader knows Khan´s chin isn’t the best around.

I want to make clear that I do wish Khan can pull the huge upset, maybe only compared to Leicester City Football Club wining the Premier League. But, I am not betting on it.

I won’t feel disappointed if this fight ends up in a mismatch. But, will it turn out to be the new Fight of the Century deception?