By Scott Gilfoid: Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya says his fighter Amir Khan (29-3, 19 KOs) will be looking to put on a show and make a statement on December 13th against former two division world title holder Devon Alexander (26-2, 14 KOs) when they face each other on Showtime Boxing at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
De La Hoya points out that they both want to get a fight against superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr, and they’ll need to prove themselves if they want to get that fight.
For Khan, it’s going to be equally tough for him to prove himself worthy of a fight against Mayweather, because not only does Khan need to win the fight, but he’s got to do it while looking good.
Many of Khan’s boxing fans were ecstatic over his recent performance against the aging warrior Luis Collazo last May. However, many neutral fans felt that Khan clinched, pushed off and leaned on Collazo’s neck for too much for it to be an impressive performance. Khan’s fans seem to look at his performances in a different light than other fans.
With that said, Khan is going to need to resist the urge to hold Alexander 10+ times per round, and he’s going to need to dramatically limit grabbing him by the head and leaning on the back of his neck the way he likes to do. Further, Khan will need to hold off on putting Alexander in head-locks like he frequently did to Collazo last May.
Of course, Khan can use all of those tools and best Alexander, but I seriously doubt this will endear Khan to Mayweather. I mean, the last thing Mayweather needs is to be facing a guy that is using wrestling tactics in the ring at this point in his career. If Mayweather has a choice to fight a regular boxer who doesn’t hold and a guy that holds 24/7 like Khan, who do you think he’s going to fight? It’s a no-brainer. Khan will be ignored while some other fighter who fights without holding will get the fight against Mayweather.
“Amir Khan looked good against my boy Collazo, but I have a feeling he wants to make a statement against Alexander, and Alexander is coming off a good win in a good action fight with Soto Karass,” De La Hoya said to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com. “What’s happening here is they realize they have to prove themselves if they want to get a really big fight, like against Mayweather.”
I like how De La Hoya mentions Alexander’s name as if he’s got a chance for a Mayweather fight. Let’s be real; Alexander has no chance for the Mayweather fight, even if he knocks Khan out cold. The only one with a shot at getting a fight against Mayweather is Khan, and like I said, that will depend on Khan winning and looking good without holding all night long. Khan will need to limit the running he does, as well as the shoving he tends to do in his fights. Khan can’t use those tactics if he wants to get a fight against Mayweather.
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