By Scott Gilfoid: Amir “King” Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) is really packing on the pounds as he gets ready for his fight against WBC middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) on Cinco de Mayo holiday on May 7 on HBO pay-per-view. In a photo that Khan posted on his Instagram this week, you can tell immediately that he’s added some bulk to his frame already.
Khan, 29, still has a little less than three months to go before the big fight, and I have a feeling that Khan might end up putting on too much weight. That would be a mistake. Putting on a bunch isn’t going to translate into him punching harder.
Above all, Khan needs to make sure that he can move for three minutes of every round for 12 round full rounds. If he can’t move, then he’ll be forced to trade with the bigger Canelo.
Unfortunately, I don’t see Khan lasting long if that happens. Canelo is too huge at this point in his career, and I think he’s the biggest he’s ever been.
‘I know Canelo fights the best and wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to face me like others have,” Khan said to the dailymail.co.uk. “My goal is to always fight the biggest names and the best fighters, that is why I’m excited for this fight. I know I have the speed and ability to beat him and will give my fans what they deserve.”
Khan dealt with a big fighter in his last fight against Chris Algieri last May. Algieri bulked up to the mid-160s for that fight and was positively huge. Granted, Algieri wasn’t in the low 180s like Canelo will likely be for the Khan fight, but he was still very big compared to the weight that he used to fight at in the past. Khan didn’t deal with Algieri’s pressure very well in that fight.
I think it was a case of Khan not being mentally prepared for the kind of game plan that Algieri used. Khan seemed to be expecting the Algieri that boxed and moved for 12 rounds in his contests with Manny Pacquiao and Ruslan Provodnikov in the past.
Khan needs to only put on a little weight, because I think he’ll be making a huge mistake if he bulks up 15 to 20 pounds for this fight. 10 pounds is fine, but I have a feeling that we’re going to see Khan bulk up to 170 and wind up too big to move for 12 rounds. I mean, just because Khan bulks up to 170+ doesn’t mean that he’s going to be able to handle Canelo’s shots any better than if he were in the 150s. It’ll be the same Khan with the same chin no matter what weight he comes into the fight.
When Algieri came out slugging, Khan wasn’t ready for that kind of fight. At least with Canelo, Khan knows exactly what he’s going to get with him. He knows that Canelo will be trying to impose his will on him and take him out. There’s no way on earth that Canelo will be coming out looking to box with Khan on May 7.
Canelo is a good boxer, but I think he’s learned his lesson from his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013 that it doesn’t pay off for him to waste time trying to box faster guys. Miguel Cotto almost beat Canelo last November by using his boxing skills. Canelo doesn’t come out ahead when he tries to box his opponents. His legs and arms are too short for him to box, and he doesn’t move well around the ring. Khan will make the 25-year-old Canelo look silly if he tries to box him.
Khan can ruin Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya’s plans on matching Canelo up against IBF/IBO/WBA middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin later this year in September. Khan has obviously been picked as the sacrificial lamb for Canelo to slaughter to make him look good, give him an easy payday, and keep him sharp for the Golovkin fight. But, Canelo isn’t good enough to just stomp a mobile fighter like Khan, and I can see this fight going badly for Canelo if Khan is able to use movement for 12 rounds.
Comments are closed.