Where does Amir Khan go from here?

Last Saturday, the boxing world saw the almost guaranteed ‘knock-out’ of the year, when Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez caught Amir ‘King’ Khan with a vicious right hand which ended the fight instantaneously with many believing Khan to be seriously hurt.

A Canelo KO was the result which many boxing fans and experts alike but as the fight drew nearer people began to believe that maybe, just maybe, Khan could box his way to a decision on points. This prediction looked to be the smart choice because in the first 4 rounds Khan looked the far more skilled and accomplished fighter, jumping in and out of range with relative ease.

Canelo looked flat-footed in the early rounds like he did against Floyd Mayweather and Erislandy Lara, missing with the jab frequently. Canelo did his usual work of cutting off the ring and looking for that big shot however it did not seem to come until he threw a left hook feint and then caught a vicious right-hand which would have had any middleweight in trouble let alone a man who had technically stepped-up two weight divisions.

The key question is where does Khan go from here? It is clear that Canelo will be forced by his Mexican fan base to take the Gennady Golovkin fight and that is more a question of when rather than if. It is clear that Khan will move back down to welterweight and there are a whole host of options that he has in that division.

There is always the Kell Brook fight to take. Brook has been crying out for a big name and it would still be a massive fight in the UK however the fight looks ever more unlikely after Khan’s vicious KO and the fact that Khan simply does not want to give Brook a payday. 

He is still mandatory for Danny Garcia’s welterweight title and that is a fight that Khan will certainly be looking to avenge having been KO’d back in 2012. It looks as though Garcia will look for an easy title defence first with names such as Andre Berto and Adrien Broner being thrown around however a fight with Garcia is one that simply does not appeal to fight fans.

In my opinion, Khan should hang up his gloves and retire. He has had an unbelievable career, winning a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics at the age of 17, recording some huge wins against a prime Paulie Malignaggi, Zab Judah and Marcos Maidana. One must remember he technically stepped-up two weight classes in order to try and secure his legacy and as much as I want to see the Brook-Khan fight, there are too many complications and with the pay-check from the Canelo fight he should sail into the sunset a happy and well-off man. 

Tom Eckett

@boxingguru

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Canelo Alvarez vs Amir Khan: A Preview

This Saturday, the highly anticipated mega-fight will take place between the Lineal and WBC middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez and former world champion, Amir Khan at the newly built T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This is Alvarez’s first defence of his title and Khan’s first time fighting at the 155 lb catch-weight which means that there are many questions which need answering come fight night and it should prove to be a fascinating contest.

Boxing’s biggest star, Canelo Alvarez has had an unbelievable career so far considering he is only 25 years old. Starting professional prize fighting at the age of 15, Canelo has only tasted defeat once in his 48 fight career and that came against the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather. He has beaten the likes of Josesito Lopez, Miguel Cotto and James Kirkland on his way to becoming a two weight world champion.

However there are still many questions that need answering of the Mexican. He has put in some very poor performances against the more skilled operators of Floyd Mayweather, Erislandy Lara and Austin Trout and at times looked almost clueless in the ring. It is certainly true that Canelo looks a whole lot better against brawlers rather than boxers and this will be a weakness that Khan will look to exploit.

HBO are billing this fight as a classic power vs speed match-up and it is certainly true that Khan has some of the fastest hands in the business. The man from Bolton became a star overnight when he won an Olympic silver medal at just the age of 17 at Athens in 2004. Since he turned professional Khan has an impressive record having beaten some of the biggest names in the game such as Marco Antonio Barrera, Zab Judah and Marcos Maidana.

Khan has the reputation of being in very exciting fights and this is more because of his weaknesses rather than his strengths. Although he has unbelievable speed and timing, he has one of the worst defences in the sport at the top level. He always seems to be caught flush on his very questionable chin and has been wobbled by the likes of Chris Algieri, Julio Diaz and Marcos Maidana. His lateral movement is very poor and he always leaves his chin open to big shots after he has thrown his flashy six or seven punch combinations.

This fight has received a lot of attention and rightfully so considering these are two of the biggest stars in the US. However, this fight is a total miss-match and many people have seemed to miss this point because of the fact that the fight is so left-field and was announced out of nowhere that fans and pundits have failed to give it their full analytical attention.

Although Khan will not be as weight drained as he was when he was at 140 lb his chin is still one of the worst in the business and Canelo has devastating punching power at light-middleweight. Khan is stepping up two weight classes and he is yet to fight a world class operator at welterweight let alone at light-middleweight or middleweight. This is a perfect fight for Canelo as it is against a big name so will bring in a large pay-check and due to Khan's punching power it has very little risk attached to it. 

With this fight it is more a question of when rather than if because it will be lights-out Khan as soon as Canelo lands flush. Khan could have some success early on in the fight but at some point he is going to leave his chin open as he always does however this time he is not facing Chris Algieri or Devon Alexander he is facing a fighter who possesses genuine power. He does not have the defensive skills of a Lara or a Mayweather to keep Canelo at bay so I am predicting an early-middle round stoppage for Canelo.

Prediction: Canelo Alvarez KO

Tom Eckett

@boxingguru44

https://twitter.com/boxingguru44

Gennady Golovkin stuck between a rock and a hard place

Last Saturday, we saw Gennady Golovkin, known to most as Triple G, destroy mandatory challenger Dominic Wade within two rounds to retain his IBF and WBA (super) middleweight titles. With many fans not happy with the level of opposition that Golovkin has had in recent times, the Boxing Guru wants to take a look at what Golovkin’s options are now going forward.

In recent times, there have been major issues with the IBF mandatory challengers. This is because the IBF are so stringent about their mandatories that no-one is able to duck or manipulate the ranking system unlike with the other governing bodies. This has pros and cons. The pros are that champions cannot duck their mandatories however the cons are that fans see lower level fighters challenging the likes of Golovkin and Brook.

In Golovkin’s pursuit to become the first unified middleweight champion since Bernard Hopkins he must take these mandatories or he will be stripped of his belt; he has no other option so the Wade fight was a fight that Golovkin had to take.

Where does he go from here? He could move up to the 168 lb division however it is currently a wasteland with the best fighter being James DeGale who is yet to fully establish himself and is looking to unify the titles with Badou Jack anyway. There is no-one else in the division that if Golovkin beat would be considered a break-out fight or improve his stock so there is little point in moving up just yet. 

There are only two real plausible options. The first is to fight WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders who it seems is looking for the big-money rematch fight with Chris Eubank Jr. however with the right offer, in my opinion, Saunders would take the fight.

However the fight that Golovkin really needs to take is with WBC/lineal champion Canelo Alvarez. Golovkin is WBC mandatory challenger and Alvarez has been ordered to face his mandatory by September or face being stripped however the WBC are not as strict as the IBF with their mandatories so there is every chance Alvarez could avoid Golovkin if he wanted to. Martinez and Cotto both held the lineal belt hostage from Golovkin and there is every chance that Alvarez is going to do the same considering he is currently only fighting at 155 lb 

It seems that Golovkin must drain himself in order to get Alvarez agree to fight him. Bernard Hopkins had to do it against Oscar De La Hoya in order to become the undisputed middleweight champion back in 2004 as De La Hoya was the more marketable fighter who brought more money to the table which meant the fight took place on his terms.

Golovkin is in a very similar position to Hopkins in that sense. However unlike Hopkins, he is yet to have that break-out fight that all fight fans want to see him in and since Alvarez is the PPV star he will have all the bargaining power if and when he comes to the table. With the super-middleweight division being such a wasteland this is Golovkin’s only viable option if he wants to ensure that his name and legacy in the sport last forever.

Tom Eckett

@boxingguru44

https://twitter.com/boxingguru44

Shock Announcement: Amir Khan and Canelo Alvarez to fight on the 5th May

After the huge announcement yesterday by Golden Boy Promotions on Twitter, Amir 'King' Khan will be fighting 'Canelo' Alvarez for the WBC middleweight title on the 7th May at Las Vegas. It is safe to say that only people on the inside saw this match up coming and it came as a massive shock to boxing and casual fans alike.

The boxer from Bolton had been being readily called out by Kell Brook and Eddie Hearn for not taking the biggest fight available to him but now it seems he has out done them and will receive the biggest payday of his career fighting, Mexican, Canelo.

There are many question marks over this fight, especially with Khan having only been adjusting himself to the 147 limit for around 18 months without fighting any genuine welterweights so to step up again is a high risk decision. But at the end of the day money talks and both Canelo and Khan are massive names in the boxing world.

Canelo is Golden Boy’s prize asset, at the age of 15 he turned professional and since then has gone from strength to strength by beating the likes of Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Erislandy Lara to name a few. His only defeat came against the unbeatable and now retired Floyd Mayweather back in 2013, in a fight which many would argue came a year or two too soon for the Mexican.

The fight will be fought at a catch-weight of 155 lb, which in my view is ridiculous considering they are fighting for the lineal 160 lb title so it is making a mockery of the divisions. This is a fight that many consider will be a stroll in the park for Canelo, with the massive size advantage that he will have on fight night and there are certainly question marks about whether Khan's chin can stand up to 147 lb fighter let alone Canelo.

However, this is a lot closer than people expect, Canelo has never liked facing fighters who can box, with Mayweather and Lara being his worst two performances to date. Khan is exactly the same, he will not simply be a punching bag, his speed and timing will have to be things that Canelo will have to get used to very quickly. However if he does land one of those wild right hooks it will be lights out Khan. 

This is a fantastic fight that will generate a lot of interest in both the US and the UK and I am delighted that Khan has been able to get himself in that mega-fight that he has so long deserved. 

Tom Eckett

@boxingguru44

https://twitter.com/boxingguru44