If this is indeed his time, if the stars align as he hopes, Khan will have earned that cherished shot at the undisputed King of Kings?
?I don?t think we?re in Kansas anymore.??Dorothy (Judy Garland) in the Wizard of Oz
On Saturday, December 13, at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, former WBA/IBF light welterweight champion Amir Khan (29-3, 19 KOs), from Bolton, England, gets it on with former WBC/IBF welterweight champion Devon Alexander (26-2, 14 KOs), from St. Louis, Missouri. At stake is WBC Silver welterweight title, a belt of relative worth, but all roads along Route 147 lead to Floyd Mayweather.
Muck like the Yellow Brick Road leading to the Emerald City, the Yellow Brick Road leading to Mayweather is fraught with challenges. Khan may not encounter lions and tigers and bears. Instead, he?ll encounter Devon Alexander, a masterful boxer when he?s on his game and not being head-butted into submission, which will be challenge enough for the Bolton Bomber.
?This is definitely an audition, or a dress rehearsal for a fight with Floyd Mayweather,? says Khan. ?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 has something more special. Maybe it?s because of the MGM, and it?s going to be a massive show.?
It is a massive show, with a stacked undercard, going up against Bradley-Chaves, with a stacked undercard of its own, down the street and on a rival network at the same time. Yes, HBO and Showtime are going head-to-head for a change. We get that it?s a Clash of the Titans thing and they can?t help themselves. But we also, just like HBO and Showtime, don?t want to be denied, and resent being treated with disdain.
While Khan?s promoter, the effusive Oscar De La Hoya, is calling Khan an all-time great who reminds him Muhammad Ali, more level heads, even those of us who love watching Khan fight, wonder what Oscar is smoking. Khan is a good fighter, a damn good fighter, maybe even a great fighter, but comparing him to Ali doesn?t elevate him. It diminishes him.
The same holds true for the ?30,000 trunks Khan will wear Saturday night, made of white nappa leather with 24-carat gold woven into the waistband and sporting a crocodile trim.
?I?m not a big spender,? told the Daily Mail, which beggars the question, who?s picking up the tab for this indulgence?
Speaking of spending, Khan to his credit isn?t spending an inordinate amount of time focusing on Mayweather or Pacquiao, the fighters De La Hoya wants to see him fight.
?I?m focused on Alexander,? he says. ?But after I beat him I hope the people will say that I deserve to fight Floyd and will demand that he meets me. I have the fastest hands in the ring. I have some of the best skills in boxing. I deserve to be regarded as among the elite fighters in the world, to be talked about in the same breath as Mayweather and Pacquiao. I believe I am the future of boxing.?
Kahn at 28 is young enough to be the ?future of boxing,? but no one but he and De La Hoya has actually come out and said it. It?s not that he?s not skilled, it?s not that he?s not thrilling, but there?s the ?it? factor, an admittedly amorphous concept, to consider, which Khan, for all his gifts, may not possess. It may be connected to his chin, which has let him down in the past. It may be that he sounds like Naseem Hamed when his boasting gets out of hand.
But Khan says he is ?wiser, smarter, and I?ve learned from those mistakes.? Working with Virgil Hunter, Andre Ward?s longtime trainer, has presumably made a difference. ?He worked on my balance and my defense. He made me realize that although I?m an attacking boxer I need to recognize when to go on the offensive. It?s in my blood to love a fight and that will always be a big part of me. But I have a better grasp of when to concentrate on boxing with abilities and not walk into big shots. Anyone who does that gets knocked down by the kind of punches I got caught with.?
Should Khan edge Alexander, as most expect, he may finally get the fight he wants. ?I know that this is my time.? If this is indeed his time, if the stars align as he hopes, Khan will have earned that cherished shot at the undisputed King of Kings, the Wonderful Wizard of?Las Vegas.
