Canelo vs. Khan happens Saturday, May 7, 2016 live on pay-per-view beginning at 9:00 pm, EST/6:00 pm, PST.
Read on for three talking points from the face off meeting between Canelo and Khan.
Is Canelo’s Confidence True or False?
Photo by Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing
Canelo Alvarez is riding a huge fame wave right now. He’s under the impression that everything he has accomplished in the sport has all been because of his hard work. And with good reason, it has. But looking at his career closely, you begin to see a pattern that begins to prove otherwise.
Canelo has always impressed with fast, hard-hitting combinations and counter punching. Early on it wasn’t surprising seeing the young kid blow out the likes of Alfonso Gomez.
But it really wasn’t until he got in with Kermit Cintron that fans began to take notice of who he was. Although his performance was far from bad, his victory wasn’t all that impressive. There were a lot of impatient mistakes and shots he could’ve landed against the aging Puerto Rican fighter that would have granted him a quicker TKO.
Seeing his quick ascension on pound for pound lists was a bit suspicious. He went on to fight on Floyd Mayweather undercards against aging, smaller fighters like Shane Mosley.
Soon after that fight Canelo headlined against another smaller fighter in Josesito Lopez, who had no business being in the ring with Canelo. When his next fight approached against Austin Trout, Canelo made all of the adjustments he needed to make to convince the public he was ready for a big payday against Floyd “Money” Mayweather.
Canelo was extremely confident going into that fight, but as we all learned, confidence doesn’t win fights against superb boxing veterans, and he was exposed with his first loss.
After Canelo’s loss to Mayweather he went on to fight a catchweight bought against Alfredo Angulo. After that he had a questionable decision against Erislandy Lara before knocking out a porcelain chin James Kirkland and coming in 25 plus pounds bigger against Miguel Cotto.
Canelo’s popularity rose amongst his fans and so did his confidence. With a career based on fighting smaller fighters, Canelo holds the edge when it comes to power punching. Canelo believes he has earned his spot as the pound for pound best.
Or does he?
I would argue no, because a confident fighter constantly challenges himself and he leaves no room for doubt in his mind and especially to the public.
That’s the reason why his false confidence seems to believe he has yet again a tough challenge against a fighter moving up two weight divisions in Amir Khan.
Will Virgil Hunter Redeem His First Loss to Canelo?
Photo by Idris Erba
The public seems to be forgetting that this will be Virgil Hunter’s second chance (as a trainer) at beating Canelo Alvarez. We have seem to be forgetting about Alfredo Angulo’s attempt at beating the Mexican fighter under the guidance of Hunter.
It’s kind of odd that the times that Hunter’s fighters have gone against Canelo, weight is the issue.
The first time against Canelo, Angulo was paid for coming in smaller than Canelo, granting Canelo the edge over him. And now again with Amir Khan, bulking up in weight to get to 155 pounds, denying him of his single most notable asset—his speed.
What’s odd is that Khan and his team are still taking this fight knowing full well that it was already a previous issue against Angulo. This issue makes me wonder if Hunter and Khan are actually looking for a victory or a lucrative payday.
As a trainer, it’s hard to see why you would accept such a handicap. A trainer is supposed to take care of his fighter at all cost, inside and outside of the ring. So if it’s not just a payday, then it must mean they both truly believe they have a chance against Canelo.
Its Not a Question of How, but When?
Photo by Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing
What are the chances of Amir Khan emerging as the victorious fighter come May 7? Slim to none. If there is one thing that comparative fights show us, it is that we are able to give a more educated opinion on the fighters next performance.
On paper, Khan vs. Canelo calls for an exciting and entertaining fight. Khan, with the heart of a lion, is assumed to hang on and give Canelo a run for his money. But realistically speaking, we have to compare the left hook that Danny Garcia landed on Khan three years ago to the same punch that is sure to be landed by Canelo.
Khan doesn’t have the best defense against looping hooks–Lamont Peterson, Marcos Maidana and Danny Garcia have already exposed that. If we look back at the Garcia fight, he dismantled Khan in the fourth round of their fight.
Canelo is shooting up to superstar status (if he’s not a superstar already) and if he wants to remain in that status for a long time to come, he will have to beat Khan in spectacular fashion in under four rounds.
An upset would send shock waves through the boxing landscape, but the odds are certainly against Khan come May 7.
