Amir Khan should know by now not to trust Floyd Mayweather. Boxing’s No1 attraction, the only fighter promoters and television executives bow down to, has teased Khan for at least two years with the prospect of sharing a ring with him, only twice to give the gig to Marcos Maidana, whom Khan beat in one of his best performances, four Decembers ago.
The Bolton fighter, who turns 28 on Monday and might box for another couple of years, would seem to have the patience of a monk or the naivety of a child – perhaps both. So off he goes to Las Vegas next weekend to audition, yet again, for the sport’s biggest prize, this time taking the fight he should have had a year ago, against the accomplished American Devon Alexander. It will be shown live on Sky Sports.
If he wins the otherwise inconsequential WBC “silver” title, he reckons he will be back in the Mayweather mix, either next May or September at the MGM Grand, the only times and place the champion deigns to box. However, Khan is still in a bind: if he wins impressively – which he should do – Mayweather might be less inclined to give him his chance; if he loses, he is pretty much out of the welterweight equation, one of boxing’s most competitive divisions.
Also, there is talk still of Mayweather indulging himself in another rematch he knows he can win, at catchweight against the heavy-handed, but slow-footed, Saúl Álvarez, and there is the ever-present spectre of Manny Pacquiao, who looked good decking the outclassed Chris Algieri over 12 rounds in Macau last weekend.
Had Khan fought and beaten Alexander when the bout was first mentioned, in Brooklyn last year, he might have leapfrogged Maidana, instead of ticking over on Mayweather’s undercard by beating up the veteran Luis Collazo over 12 rounds in his first proper fight at 10st 7lb.
Alexander, who went the distance with Shawn Porter in a scrappy fight before Porter demolished Paulie Malignaggi then lost his IBF title to Kell Brook, is a tougher opponent than Collazo, who lost to Ricky Hatton in 2006, and three of 12 bouts after that. So the risk rises here for Khan.
“He’s very durable, quick hands, quick feet,” Khan said. “So we’ve been working a lot on the endurance, on the explosiveness at times, and also good foot movement.”
Khan said he and his trainer, Virgil Hunter, were not sure if Alexander was, “going to be moving forward or if he’s going to be on his back foot, so we’re going to be leading”.
That would seem to be defy boxing logic because, if Alexander and Khan are both going to lead, the American can drag him into toe-to-toe exchanges plainly unsuited to his fast, hit-and-run style, not to mention putting his suspect chin where it ought not to be. Never the less, he has prepared diligently, as ever.
“I’ve probably sparred about 150 close rounds,” he said, “done three 12-round fight spars with guys from all over the USA [including] Ricardo Williams, the silver medalist in the 2000 Olympics. It’s my second fight in this division. I feel much stronger than I did in the first one against Collazo.”
If Khan gets past Alexander, he might be better advised negotiating with Brook, who has resumed training after surviving a knife attack in September, while on holiday in Tenerife, and wants to box again in March.
Khan says he would want more than the $5m Brook’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, is said to be offering him. “If it makes sense for us to take that in 2015, we’ll take it. I have a lot of respect for Kell being world champion, but it’s really an Amir Khan show. We’re not going to be disrespectful or unfair, but who is he telling me what I should get?”
He sounded almost like Mayweather.
