WORLD Boxing Council welterweight silver champion Amir Khan, who was shunned by eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao in favor of a third fight with Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley, has landed a massive fight with hugely popular Mexican Saul “Canelo” Alvarez for the WBC middleweight title at a catch-weight of 155 pounds in Las Vegas on May 7.
Sky Sports in London quoted Khan, who said he is ready to make history when he takes on the Mexican superstar.
Khan virtually hit the jackpot with the fight taking place at the MGM Grand’s new 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena.
Sky Sports noted that Alvarez suffered the only defeat of his career when he lost a majority decision to the unbeaten and now retired pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas in 2013, but Khan is confident he has the tools to beat him.
Speaking from California, Khan told Sky Sports News HQ: “It’s going to be the first fight there [at the new stadium] and I’m looking forward to it because it is something new and it’s time to make history.”
Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya praised the British 2004 Athens Olympic Games silver medalist for choosing to fight Alvarez.
Moving up a weight or two and fighting a world champion that everyone believes is going to walk through says a lot about the courage of Khan, who remarked: “I really believe that I have the chance to beat him (Canelo) and by beating someone like Alvarez it will definitely make me one of the best fighters in the world.”
Khan pointed out that when Mayweather fought Alvarez, he dropped down to 152lbs where he was struggling to make the fight weight—so the weight we are fighting at is giving him a couple of more pounds to feel comfortable.
Khan feels that Alvarez “is going to be a little bit stronger going into this fight against me, but watching how Floyd Mayweather beat him; Floyd boxed him, was smart and he moved well—he wasn’t standing there with him. Obviously I am going to pick a few things out of that fight. Alvarez looked really good in that fight, he was sharper, he was quicker. I have the hand speed, I have the great footwork so we know what to do.”