Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan: Former Champion Andre Ward Says 'Bigger' Khan Would Defeat Alvarez
Former lineal middleweight champion Andre Ward is one of the few handful who believe that former world champion Amir Khan could pull off a win against reigning WBC 160-pound champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
The fight between Alvarez and Khan will be taking place on May 7th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
As agreed upon by both camps, the contest will be held at a 155-pound catch-weight. For Khan, who usually fights at welterweight, the jump would be quite big, as he would be adding eight pounds to his natural weight.
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He has, however, been stopped twice in the past, both at lightweight, and light welterweight. His most recent and notable defeat was in the hands of current WBC welterweight champion Danny Garcia in July 2012. Garcia stopped Khan via a highlight reel fourth round TKO, where the latter subsequently dropped the WBA super lightweight title.
These fights, in addition to his would-be size disadvantage is there reasons why Khan is the underdog coming into the bout against the hard-hitting Alvarez. But Ward believes people are underestimating "King Khan".
"I see a lot of people ripping Amir, but he's got the guts to take on the challenge," Ward said in a report by Boxingscene. "He's chasing this. And whether he wins or loses, he took the risk." Alvarez punching power is one of the biggest advantages that most people draw up for the young Mexican boxing sensation.
Holding a record of 46-1-1, with 32 wins by knockout, Canelo holds notable victories against Miguel Cotto, Austin Trout, Shane Mosley, just to name a few. He also won two of his last four fights by knockout, with his most recent one being a sensational third round finish against James Kirkland last May.
But for Ward, Khan will be able to put up a good fight, given that they train under the same coach, the legendary Virgil Hunter.
"Amir's a lot bigger than what people realize," he said. "He's not a small kid. He's got a lot of heart, and Virgil will have a great game plan."
Khan holds a record of 34-3, with 19 wins by knockout.
