STANLEY KETCHEL, according to some boxing historians the greatest ever world middleweight champion, has been dead for 106 years.
Yet surprising as it may seem, Amir Khan, more than a century later, has something in common with the tearaway they called the Michigan Assassin.
Khan is reckoned to be on a Mission Impossible by jumping two weight divisions when he tackles Mexican superstar
Canelo Alvarez for his WBC middleweight crown in Las Vegas next Saturday.
The Bolton boy is expected to be more than a stone lighter than the formidable Alvarez by the time he climbs through the ropes.
Canelo is one of the top four fighters in the world today and his concussive fists have knocked out 32 of his 46 victims.
Ketchel was a vicious character but when he leapt two divisions in 1909 he was following a dangerous path.
The Polish-American, orphaned at 12, spent his early teens as a hobo earning a few bucks a week fighting all-comers in Montana mining towns.
Michigan Assassin Ketchel failed valiantly when he stepped up two weights against legend Jack Johnson
He feared no one and thought it a good idea to test his toughness against Jack Johnson, the incomparable world heavyweight champion.
Johnson was more than 2st heavier and was several inches taller and they clashed in an open-air arena outside San Francisco.
Ketchel firmly believed in Bob Fitzsimmons? famous remark: ?The bigger they are, the harder they fall.?
He didn?t know Johnson had done a deal with the promoter for a percentage of the movie rights to the fight.
Johnson had agreed to carry Ketchel the 20-round distance because a short film would have killed the box-office takings.
Everything went to plan until the 12th round. Ketchel threw a ferocious roundhouse right which caught the smiling Johnson behind the ear. It sent him crashing to the boards.
Infuriated at Ketchel?s cheek, Johnson got to his feet before the referee could start to count and landed an almighty uppercut that knocked Ketchel cold.
The blow carried such force four of Ketchel?s teeth were embedded in his right glove.
Khan is fully aware of the serious risk he?s taking and realises he dare not make a single mistake against the much bigger and far more powerful Alvarez, otherwise he will suffer a similar fate to Ketchel.
Khan?s hand and foot speed will certainly be in his favour and he may be ahead early on. But I believe Alvarez will catch up and finish him off before the final bell.
With Ketchel in mind, my advice to Amir would be: ?Whatever you do, don?t put Canelo on the canvas. Because the last thing you want to do is upset him.?
