LAS VEGAS ? Former junior welterweight champion Amir Khan knows he?s about a 5-1 underdog against the bigger Canelo Alvarez for Saturday?s middleweight title fight at the new T-Mobile Arena.
The Brit admitted he?s not used to his underdog status; it?s the first time he isn?t favored in a fight.
He knows that most everyone in the boxing media is picking Canelo, 25, the lineal middleweight champion, to knock him out at some point during the fight (HBO pay-per-view, 9 p.m. ET). Many believe it won?t last through the sixth round.
Khan also knows why they believe that.
In boxing parlance it?s described thusly: chin, whiskers, glass jaw. Call it what you want.
If Amir Khan has an Achilles heel in his game, it is located in his jaw. People who have seen him fight ? and it cannot be argued that Khan is an excellent boxer with some of the quickest hands and feet in the sport ? know that he is susceptible to the big punch.
Exhibit A: In 2008, in Khan?s native England, Breidis Prescott, who was undefeated at the time but has been a pedestrian 9-7 since, dropped the massively favored, 21-year-old Khan, 30 seconds into the first round with a huge left hand, knocking him silly. Khan bravely got to his feet before Prescott finished him. One of the biggest upsets in British boxing history.
Exhibit B: In 2012 against Danny Garcia, not the biggest puncher around but unbeaten and with some power, Khan ran into a huge left hook and went down, three times in all, before referee Kenny Bayless stopped it in the fourth round. Khan?s legs were gone.
Exhibit C: Against light-hitting Chris Algieri in his last fight nearly a year ago, Khan was wobbled in the first round from a hard right by Algieri. Khan recovered and went on to win a unanimous decision. But he was definitely buzzed.
OK, so Canelo is not Prescott, or Garcia, or Algieri. In fact, he?s a much bigger, harder puncher. He put a true junior middleweight and a thicker James Kirkland down inside three rounds, and knocked him out cold a year ago. There?s no denying Canelo?s power.
Khan?s been knocked down seven times in his career and was hurt several times in a close win over Marcos Maidana. Much of it is due to his sometimes reckless go-for-it style, where he throws a knockout punch and is nailed by a counterpunch, a la Manny Pacquiao against Juan Manuel Marquez a few years ago.
?Look, the shots I?ve been hit with, they?ve been big clear shots, and anyone would have been put down with those shots, especially in the fights I?ve been stopped in,? Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) said Tuesday. ?The shots I do get put down with are where you get a big shot in yourself, and you leave yourself open. It?s like double impact in a way because I?m running into a shot.?
Under his current trainer, Virgil Hunter, Khan says he?s working hard on his balance, which he blames for some of his previous knockdowns.
?Virgil?s got me fixing my balance, making sure I?m under my feet, when I go into an attack, or even when I move away from an attack,? Khan said. ?I?ve always got my feet under me and I am in balance, whereas before, my hands moved too quick, my feet moved too quick and I?d be off balance.
?If you?ve seen my last few fights under Virgil, you can see that my balance is everything.?
Khan has said that when he?s been hit, it?s usually been with counter punches. And it?s no secret that Canelo is one of the best counter-punchers in the sport. Khan is ready for whatever Canelo brings. Or at least he thinks he is.
?It?s going to be like a game of chess at times. He?s going to be putting a lot of pressure on me as well, pushing me back,? Khan said. ?We have to be smart because we know he?s going to throw something back.
?Physically, I know it?s going to be a tough fight Saturday night, but I knew that coming in. Against Canelo, we don?t want to be standing there and giving him free shots. We know he can hurt me with one big shot, and I?m not going to make that mistake against him.?
Khan said he never respected the fighters who knocked him down earlier in his career because he always came in thinking, ?This guy can?t hurt me.?
Not so with Canelo.
?This fight I am respecting (Canelo?s) power. I am going into this fight knowing I can be hurt,? said Khan. ?And when you go into a fight knowing you can be hurt, you?re going to be more on the edge, and your defense is going to be a lot sharper.?
Another factor Khan is well aware of is the size difference. Khan figures he will come into the fight at about 162 pounds. That will be at least 10 pounds lighter than Canelo, who has rehydrated about 15 or 20 pounds in previous outings.
?I think that?s going to happen in this fight,? Khan said. ?I?m going to hit Canelo and he?s probably not going to feel it.?
So what kind of fight can we expect, if Khan doesn?t believe he can hurt Canelo. the Mexican superstar, known for his fan-friendly style, was asked whether he?s concerned that Khan will make him chase the challenger around the ring for 12 rounds trying to catch him with the big shot.
?I?m not concerned with that. I?m going to do what I have to do and I?ve prepared myself to do all the work that we?ve done in the gym, and I?m going to go out there and get the win,? Canelo (46-1-1, 32 KOs) said.
?And let me add that Amir Khan has never been in a boring fight so I don?t think it?s going to start now.?
While nobody, outside of Khan and the highly respected Hunter, knows exactly how he will approach this fight, it?s unlikely Khan will be drawn into a toe-to-toe battle with his bigger, stronger opponent. Yet he feels he has the advantage of being older, wiser and more experienced.
?I know against Canelo (punches are) definitely going to come back because he?s a world champion, you have to expect that,? Khan said. ?And if something does come back, it?s going to be hard, so I have to be on my A-game, ready for every move he makes.
?Whatever Canelo brings to the table we?re going to have an answer for everything . . . It?s skill that will win this fight.?
