BY TIM PARSONS
The middleweight championship fight between Amir Khan and Canelo Alvarez on Saturday is one of the most intriguing championship fights the boxing world would have witnessed recently.
Canelo Alvarez will make the first defense of his WBC middleweight title in a fight to take place at the restricted weight limit of 155 pounds. Alvarez is one of boxing’s most precise punchers, and is the betting favorite for this fight. He is on a 4 fight winning streak and ranked the no 1 middleweight fighter in the world, also the 5th pound for pound fighter, according to ESPN.
This fight will pit an excellent and accurate puncher against a very quick fighter in Amir Khan. Victory for Khan will make him the 12th world champion from England, and will also be one of the most celebrated championship wins this country has had in a very long time. There has long been a clamor for a clash between Khan and Britain’s Kelly Brook, but that fight has never come to fruition, despite the huge interest in the fight.
However, Khan has stepped up two weight divisions for this fight, and will need to be at his very best to pull of a win. Khan’s best asset has always been his blistering speed and quick hands, having the ability to outclass opponents and make them feel they are fighting against lightning speed of epic proportions. His weakness is his ability to take a power punch on the chin, although only two explosive punchers have managed to knock him out and end his usually ambitious goal to excite and win in style.
Alvarez is a hero among Mexican fans, who will turn up in numbers to hail their champion. There is also the strong feeling and desire for the newly crowned middleweight champion to avenge a defeat Khan once inflicted on another of their heroes-Antonia Barrera, when Khan ended the latter’s dream of becoming a four weight champion. Khan is also very a very confident and ambitious fighter, always wanting the big fights, though for some reason has evaded the clash with Kelly Brook which would have been a big sell in Britain, and even America. However, he can be forgiven for not taking that fight, for the fight he is contracted to take on Saturday is probably the biggest challenge of his career so far. Alvarez is a real champion, and one who is one hundred percent intent on defending his belt in style. The winner is expected to take on unbeaten legend, Gennedy Golovkin, which is where the huge ambitions may have to end for whoever emerges victorious in the thrilling clash.
Golovkin is a legendary competitor and has an extremely rare ability to win fights against very good opponents, which is why he will be an overwhelming favorite against whoever wins this fight. One step at a time though, and boxing fans all over the country will surely be on the edge of their seats for this fight because it promises to be one of the very best championship fights we have seen in a while. Khan will come out blazing, using his fast feet and hands to try and dazzle, but will meet fierce opposition from an extremely capable champion. This is one fight where Khan will really deserve to be called ‘King’ if he wins. Despite Alvarez being a deserving favorite, Khan is Britain’s best pound for pound fighters, so can be expected to raise his usually high game for this one and pull out an upset, but ALvarez is the guy you will expect to halt Khan in a successful defense in the early parts of the latter round.
The middleweight championship bout on Saturday is really intriguing for the very reason that Khan is good enough to pull off the upset.
