“I mean, as of right now, I haven’t heard anything. Nothing is etched in stone. I’m hearing a lot of rumors and innuendos and seeing a lot of stuff, and I think it’s a fight Golden Boy wants to make, but I haven’t heard or seen any deal as of yet…I mean, we’re not really interested in going to Dubai. We’re giving Khan a shot at the title. I don’t think we should be taken to Dubai just because Khan wants the fight to go to Dubai. I don’t think that should be the case, but at the end of the day, they’re talking about huge money in Dubai. I haven’t seen anything. There was talk of putting Mayweather and Pacquiao in Dubai, and a while back, even Mike Tyson was discussed, but nothing ever surfaced. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just talk. If the fight gets made, it’s a fight that deserves to be in the States, but I’ll never say no to anything. But it’s going to take a crazy number, and if they come back with a crazy number, I’ll never say never. Right now, it’s just speculation though,” stated world-class trainer Kevin Cunningham, who gave us an update on a potential showdown between his fighter, IBF welterweight champion Devon Alexander, and former jr. welterweight champion Amir Khan. Check out what else he had to say!
DK: Kevin, what’s going on? Congratulations goes out to you and Sakio Bika for Sakio winning his 1st world title.
KC: Oh man, thank you. I think Sakio is a well-deserving champion. He’s been in some big fights and he had several attempts at becoming world champion and this was the 3rd or 4th title shot. Thankfully he got it done and he’s well-deserving of being a world champion.
DK: A lot of talk recently has been going on about Devon Alexander defending his title against Amir Khan in December. It seems like the fight is set, but the venue is the issue. Can you clear up any confusion?
KC: I mean, as of right now, I haven’t heard anything. Nothing is etched in stone. I’m hearing a lot of rumors and innuendos and seeing a lot of stuff, and I think it’s a fight Golden Boy wants to make, but I haven’t heard or seen any deal as of yet. It’s a fight Amir Khan is telling everyone he wants, and Devon would love to get in there with Amir Khan. Hopefully the fight gets made and I think it’s a great fight if it happens.
DK: What would it take for Devon to defend his title in Dubai?
KC: I mean, we’re not really interested in going to Dubai. We’re giving Khan a shot at the title. I don’t think we should be taken to Dubai just because Khan wants the fight to go to Dubai. I don’t think that should be the case, but at the end of the day, they’re talking about huge money in Dubai. I haven’t seen anything. There was talk of putting Mayweather and Pacquiao in Dubai, and a while back, even Mike Tyson was discussed, but nothing ever surfaced. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just talk. If the fight gets made, it’s a fight that deserves to be in the States, but I’ll never say no to anything. But it’s going to take a crazy number, and if they come back with a crazy number, I’ll never say never. Right now, it’s just speculation though.
DK: Devon broke his hand in his last fight against Lee Purdy. What is the status on the injury?
KC: His hand is healing. He broke his hand and he later found out that there was a strained ligament in the hand. He’s recovering, going through treatment, and I think Devon will be ready at 100% full speed at the end of August.
DK: Does it bother you that Amir Khan is rated as a top welterweight even though he has never fought at welterweight?
KC: It doesn’t really bother me. I understand the business, so it doesn’t bother me. Amir Khan is considered to be one of the top fighters in the game. He’s planning on moving up in weight, so he’s targeting Devon. I believe Amir Khan and his people feel Devon is the easiest route to a welterweight title and they’re already talking about fighting Mayweather, but if this fight gets made, they are all in for a rude awakening.
DK: I’m glad you mentioned that because Devon was mentioned as a possible opponent to Floyd Mayweather in May before Robert Guerrero got the call. Since it’s being talked about that if Khan beats Devon, Khan will most likely fight Floyd, do you think Devon should get the next opportunity at Mayweather?
KC: Well, I mean, right now we’re taking it one thing at a time. I see Amir Khan and his team talking about once they take care of Devon, they’re next for Mayweather. I see the comments and we see all this stuff. It’s a lot of arrogance, but that’s cool. No problem. All we’re focused on is getting the deal right, getting the date done, and getting in the ring. We’ll deal with it from there.
DK: How would you assess Adrien Broner’s performance in his welterweight debut against Paulie Malignaggi?
KC: You know, I think he did what he was supposed to do. He took the fight to Paulie and he landed the more punishing, effective blows. He kept constant pressure on Paulie and Paulie is an old, wily vet that knows his way around the ring and knows how to survive. Paulie was determined he wasn’t going to be knocked out in his hometown. He knew the slick moves and he survived. Paulie is smart enough, experienced enough, and knows his ways around the ring enough to survive a young, tough, hungry fighter, and he survived. But Adrien clearly won the fight.
DK: I’m sure you see some of the things he has posted on the internet. Is there anything you are worried about in regards to his future?
KC: I think he’ll be alright. In one sense, you can look at it as some negative, but at the end of the day, the press, Twitter, blogs, everyone is talking about him. At the end of the day, he’s got everyone talking. Every time he fights, the ratings are through the roof. You know, it’s not all bad. From a marketing standpoint, he’s doing a hell of a job marketing himself. His last fight on HBO, he did 1.4 million on HBO, and then did a 1.4 million in his Showtime debut, so he’s got a lot of people wanting to watch, and that’s what promoters and networks want to see. Nobody’s perfect, but he’s doing something right. He’s young, but he’s doing a hell of a job marketing himself.
DK: I want to get your prediction on some upcoming big fights in and around the welterweight division. First off, Mayweather vs. Canelo.
KC: I see Mayweather winning this fight easy. This fight will look similar to Mayweather and Guerrero.
DK: Garcia vs. Matthysee.
KC: Hmmm. Toss up.
DK: Bradley vs. Marquez.
KC: Bradley should beat a 40-year-old Marquez.
DK: Pacquiao vs. Rios.
KC: Um, if Pacquiao has anything left, he should be able to outbox Brandon, but if he’s slipping or shows any effects of that vicious knockout loss to Marquez in his last fight, and he’s trying to stand to fight with Brandon, he’s going to have problems.
DK: Alright, Kevin. It was good catching up with you. Is there anything else you would like to add before we let you go?
KC: Bottom line is this. Devon’s on the mend. He’ll be ready to go with whoever in late November, early December, but hopefully it’s Khan. It’s the fight we want and the fight Khan wants, and we’ll be ready.
