Oscar seems to think that if the strongman sees a Mexican and Muslim fight, he?ll soften his attitude toward those he maligns?
Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a fight televised live on HBO PPV, WBC World middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs), the hard-hitting redhead from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, defends his title against former WBA World lightweight champion Amir Khan (31-3, 19 KOs), from Bolton, Lancashire, UK.
Khan has wanted a big fight for a long time. He was in the running to fight Floyd Mayweather. He was mentioned as a possible opponent for Manny Pacquiao. Those opportunities failed to materialize, but a fight with Canelo is as good as it gets, especially now that the aforementioned possibilities have retired, more or less, at least for the time being.
Khan has speed and power and has been in more action-packed fights than he might have liked. But with the estimable Virgil Hunter in his corner, the Bolton Bomber has reigned in his wilder hit-and-be-hit inclinations.
Khan is a credible opponent, but he is fighting a man who is younger, bigger, and stronger. Few expect him to win, with the exception of Oscar De La Hoya, or so he says.
?There?s a reason Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao didn?t want to fight Amir Khan,? he said, ?because he possesses skills like no other. He may come in as the underdog, but he also comes in as a huge favorite to those who know the sport and to many of those who have seen him fight.?
De La Hoya wasn?t done gilding the lily. To generate interest in a fight which most people believe is a foregone conclusion he compared Canelo vs. Khan to the Rumble in the Jungle.
?Whoever thought that Muhammad Ali could knock out George Foreman?? he asked. ?I just talked to Foreman and people were praying he didn?t hurt Ali and look what happened there.?
I don?t know about that, but there?s much that I do not know.
?I wanted the big fights against Mayweather and Pacquiao and both fights didn?t happen,? said Khan. ?I wanted the next big thing, and the next big thing was Canelo. Canelo?s a tough guy. He?s strong, but we?re going to be ready for whatever he brings to the table. That?s the reason I chose this fight, because I really do believe I can win this fight. He?s a great champion, he?s a credit to boxing, but this is my time and I?m going to grab it with both hands. I know I?m not going to be stronger than Canelo, but I?m going to stand with him and fight with him. I?m going to hit Canelo and he?s probably not going to feel it. I think it will be difficult to knock Canelo out, but I know I can give him a boxing lesson. I think my skills in this fight will win me the fight.?
Khan talks a good game and sometimes he delivers. Maybe he can do unto Canelo as Canelo has done unto so many others
?There?s not too much more to say,? Canelo said. ?I know what Amir Khan brings. He?s a very fast, very elusive, very tricky fighter. But there is a difference between wanting and doing. On Saturday night, we will see who will give who a boxing lesson. I?ll show a lot more than power, you?ll see. I bring speed as well. I?m training hard for twelve rounds, I?m ready to go all of those rounds, and if the knockout presents itself I?m ready to take it.?
In addition to the prognostications that precede a fight of this caliber, there?s the ongoing war of words between De La Hoya and the next president of the United States.
Donald Trump will be attending the fight, at De La Hoya?s invitation, where he?ll see ?a wonderful, wonderful event with one of the most popular fighters in boxing?who is Muslim?and we want to show what a great contribution these two fighters can make to the beautiful US of A.?
Oscar seems to think that if the strongman sees a Mexican and Muslim fight, he?ll soften his attitude toward those he loves to malign.
That?s unlikely, but it has added a subtext whose relevance to the fight itself is slim to none.
But at least it has given people something to talk about.
?You never know,? said Khan, ?this could be the last fight for me and Canelo here. That?s if Donald Trump becomes president.?
Even Canelo, who rarely lets his guard down, felt compelled to address the issue.
?I don?t like to get into political issues like that, but what I can say is, it hurts and offends,? he said. ?I want him to understand and for people to know that when I?m out there running, I see a lot of countrymen working hard, working in the fields. Not everybody?s coming here to rob and steal. But we want to show him that us Mexicans and a lot of the immigrants, we come here to succeed and be victorious.?
So Trump will presumably be ringside cheering on neither fighter. He says he wants to Make America Great Again, which is all well and good. But we want to Make Boxing Great Again.
Somebody needs to check the odds to see which of those propositions comes in first.
