Amir Khan is treating his debut as headliner next Saturday at the MGM Grand, the world?s most renowned fight venue, as ?a dress rehearsal for facing Floyd Mayweather? ahead of a career-defining 12 months.
Khan has left Los Angeles and its celebrity distractions ? ?you can?t say no to dinner with Mark Wahlberg? ? and with fresh focus faces the former two-weight world champion Devon Alexander for the World Boxing Council silver welterweight title knowing that victory could propel him into blockbuster fights in 2015, with Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Kell Brook in the frame.
?This is definitely an audition, or a dress rehearsal for a fight with Mayweather,? said Khan, who showed his speed and intelligence again with a fine victory over Luis Collazo seven months ago on the undercard at the MGM. Khan, after two losses and a shaky win, was back in the bright lights.
The MGM Grand has a 20‑storey poster of the unbeaten Mayweather adorning the front of the cavernous hotel resort, billed ?The home of Floyd Mayweather?, and is the venue that has hosted the multi-millionaire prize fighter?s last 10 contests. Khan?s fight will take place under his shadow.
?The MGM Arena has to be one of the biggest and best arenas in the world where the likes of Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and others have fought,? said Khan, from his training camp in Oakland, California. ?It?s huge. Now I?m the main attraction at the MGM, the main arena in Vegas. It will be the opportunity to imagine what it will be like when I?m up against Floyd Mayweather, the biggest fight of my career.
?The big time was my dream, to be on the Vegas strip with big posters of me. I?ve obviously fought in Vegas before, but this fight just has something more special. Maybe it?s because of the MGM, and it?s going to be a massive show.?
Khan may need not just to win but to make a clear statement, give an eye-catching performance, if he is to create the ?Mayweather debate? and fulfil his ambitions.
There has been talk not only of Mayweather, but a potential fight with Pacquiao, or even a Wembley Stadium extravaganza against Brook, the Sheffield welterweight who holds the International Boxing Federation crown, next year.
?It?s amazing to have my name mentioned amongst the top fighters in the world but I?m not looking beyond this fight against Devon because it?s a huge fight for me,? Khan said. ?I have to win this fight to be at the level people are talking about. Not just win it, but win in good style. Devon Alexander has never been stopped, he comes to fight and he?s very durable, quick hands, quick feet.
?This fight could lead to either of us getting a huge fight in the future, against Mayweather, or even Manny Pacquiao. So, it?s all about sticking to the game plan.?
That has meant working on endurance, explosiveness and good foot movement. Khan will need all of those qualities against Alexander, a powerful southpaw over whom Khan has the edge in speed and movement.
Khan has shown a growing toughness in and out of the ring in the past 12 months, and he believes his move from the glitz of Hollywood, where he was training under Freddie Roach, to the spit and sawdust of blue-collar Union City, in Oakland, has also changed his outlook and ? perhaps more importantly ? his concentration levels. ?It is different. Sometimes, in Los Angeles, there were too many distractions. Mark Wahlberg and a lot of well-known actors would come to the gym, watch me train and then they would invite you for dinner afterwards. You can?t really say ?no? to them.
?The Wild Card Gym is always busy, and it got too much. LA was also crazy at night time. There were huge parties going on and it was so busy meeting celebrities and stuff. I just needed to get away from that. When I came to Union City, it was just really quiet and I could focus more and rest more. You don?t really think of anything else apart from boxing. Whereas in Hollywood, where I was based, you never got to rest really.?
From Oakland, Khan has been able to plot the future with trainer Virgil Hunter. They say styles make fights. Khan believes a fight with Mayweather suits his style more than a fight with Pacquiao, the Filipino world champion. ?I might find Manny Pacquiao a tougher fight than a Floyd Mayweather fight. My style probably suits Mayweather because it will take me back to my amateur days. It would be more like a game of chess. He?d make me sharp and on the edge of my toes.?
Yet the boxing world has been pushing for a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, which would move Khan towards a fight with Brook instead.
?If the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight is going to happen, being a boxing fan myself, it will be a huge fight. But look, it?s going to upset me because, obviously, I?ve been waiting for such a long time for my big fight. But after I win this fight against Alexander I think people are going to demand that I get a fight with Mayweather.?
But Khan would consider the fight with Brook. ?If it makes sense for us to take that in 2015, we?ll take it. But it will be under my terms and my conditions. I have a lot of respect for Kell being world champion but it?s really an Amir Khan show, I?m the draw in this fight.? Just, indeed, as Khan is on Saturday night in Las Vegas, when it will be time to deliver.
