By Rodrigo Cavazza: Since Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Amir Khan made the agreement to fight for the middleweight WBC title everybody put their voices around the sky about the mismatch and the size difference.
As we all know, Canelo is a true middleweight fighter who can make 155, so he virtually fights at super welterweight but with the 160 title in the line (since he beat Miguel Cotto last year).
Khan was champion at Super lightweight, then he moved up to welterweight division, and now he is jumping over two divisions to middleweight to face the current WBC and lineal champion. This is not the first time in history we see something like this, we have a recent precedent in Adrien Broner jumping from lightweight to welterweight in 2013 to face Paulie Malignaggi for the WBA title and defeated him by SD. Of course this wasn’t a mismatch. Broner was a big lightweight, almost a natural welterweight may I add since he presented some weight problems to make less than 147, (e.g. 141 vs. Molina and 144 vs. Porter. Fights where they discussed a lot about weight) meanwhile Malignaggi is a natural welterweight.
Six months later, Broner still was in welterweight division when he defended the title against “Chino” Maidana. So, this is not an extraordinary idea. In addition to that, Khan is a tall guy for the WW division, he is also taller than Canelo, so there’s no reach problems. Although all this facts, we can argue that Khan has no experience in this weight and never faced a boxer as powerful as Canelo. As I said before, Khan is taller than Canelo, but Canelo has a bigger physique. So, yes, it is a mismatch, more size means more advantage. Canelo has the power, but Khan has the speed. Khan can only win if he moves around and use a constant jab to make points, and not standing toe to toe in a violent exchange of blows, that’s a knock out for him for sure, like we saw in several fights, Khan hasn’t got that chin to take a good punch, and Canelo does hit hard.
On the other hand, Canelo should use Gennady Golovkin’s technique, cut the ring and tried to KO his opponent by throwing blow after blow, he doesn’t need too much technique for that, just good stamina to keep going forward. And talking about a Golovkin, another 160 fighter.
As we everybody read and said, Canelo-Khan is a mismatch because is a 160 facing a 147, but how many people does ask for Mayweather (147) to come back and face Golovkin (160) saying is a good fight and what boxing needs? People truly believe that is that a fair fight? Or is just the desire to see a lost in Mayweather’s record that push the fight? And they said that if Mayweather at the age of 38 doesn’t come back to face a 160 fighter, who also can make 168 as Golovkin himself said in occasion to fight Ward, is a coward and is docking and dodging. So is a disgrace for Canelo, WBC middleweight champ, to face a 147 in Khan, but is okay for Golovkin, WBO/IBF/IBO middleweight champ, to face a 147 in Mayweather. Which one is it? Don’t remember that Mayweather’s highest weight was 151 when he fought Cotto in 2012 for the WBA super welterweight title owned by Cotto. He is a natural welterweight who saw the opportunity to virtually move up to 154 to gain the title and nothing else, he is a natural 147 fighter.
The proof is in every videotape we can see (like fighthype’s, The Ring online, or even twitter or Instagram). Mayweather is always on weight, there you got a guy who can make 147 any day of the week. Remember when he fought Pacquiao in 2015, the pre-weigh in 30 days before the fight, he was in 150.5. That means something, and that’s something important, his natural weight, he is a natural 147. So, why people keep claiming for him to fight a 160/168 fighter? I truly believe is for the desire to see a lost in his record and nothing else. Call it envy, jealousy or whatever. The truth is that people make noise of something and shut up for others stuff. As an undefeated guy said once: “hating is free, that’s why a majority of people do it. If hating cost money, people would think twice about it.”
Comments are closed.