CANELO ALVAREZ VS. AMIR KHAN IN BIGGEST SPEED VS. POWER FIGHT OF THE DECADE
OSCAR DE LA HOYA SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON HISTORY’S MOST EXCITING SPEED VS. POWER MATCH UPS
LOS ANGELES (May 2, 2016) – WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) and British top fighter and former two-time former world champion Amir “King” Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) will bring every ounce of their speed and power when they meet in the ring on May 7 at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.
Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya recently sat down to give his thoughts on boxing’s most exciting speed vs. power match ups, from the historic ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ with Foreman vs. Ali to Leonard vs. Hagler and more. Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan is a classic match up of speed vs. power, which history tells us can make for some of the most exciting, action packed fights in boxing.
Oscar De La Hoya on George “Big” Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali:
“George Foreman had a record at the time of 40-0, 37 KOs so he was unstoppable, he was knocking everyone out. Muhammad Ali used his speed, used his great footwork and he used the famous rope-a-dope – he lured Foreman into the trap and knocked him out.
“Muhammad Ali was the clear underdog in this fight. Foreman was knocking everybody out, annihilating [Joe] Frazier, Norton and those were Ali’s rivals. Ali was able to pull off the biggest upset at the time by knocking out George Foreman.”
Oscar De La Hoya on Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Marvin “Marvelous” Hagler:
“1987 and another classic speed vs. power battle. Speed prevails in this one against the most feared fighter on the planet, the great ‘Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler with tremendous punching power. Speed was just too much for power on that night.”
Oscar De La Hoya on Julio César “JC” Chávez vs. Meldrick “The Kid: Taylor:
“Julio César Chávez, Meldrick Taylor, 1990: A classic battle of speed vs. power. Taylor with the speed was beating Chavez every single round, every single minute but at the same time he was taking a lot of punishment.
“In the 12th round guess what happens? Chávez knocks him out with two seconds left and Chávez wins the fight.”
Oscar De La Hoya on De La Hoya vs. Ike “Bazooka” Quartey:
“1999, another classic battle of speed vs. power. My lighting-fast jab and with combinations I was able to drop him. They called him the ‘bazooka’ – he was a tremendous puncher but on that night speed prevailed. I needed the 12th round to win the fight and I was able to pull it off.”
Oscar De La Hoya on De La Hoya vs. Fernando “Ferocious” Vargas:
“In the first round I had to weather the storm. He came right at me, almost knocked me outside the ring, almost knocked me out. I was able to come back in the later rounds and use my speed and my intelligence and we were able to pull off the victory from the bigger and stronger Fernando Vargas.”
Arguably the most powerful middleweight boxer in the game, Mexican fighter Canelo Alvarez has established his dominance over almost every opponent who has come in his way with his abundant strength. In 2015 he was awarded knockout of the year after a brutal third round knockout of James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland (32-2, 28 KOs) on May 9, 2015 in front of a crowd of 31,000 people at Houston’s Minute Maid Park, setting viewership records for HBO World Championship Boxing.
After taking the WBC Middleweight World Championship on November 21, 2015 by defeating Puerto Rico’s four division World Champion and future Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto (40-5, 33 KOs) via unanimous decision at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Canelo has further asserted himself as boxing’s most powerful puncher.
Meanwhile, Amir “King” Khan is no stranger to the speed vs. power struggle. After taking on Danny Garcia on July 14, 2012 at the Mandalay Bay Fights Center in Las Vegas, the heavily favored Khan was upset in a shocking technical knockout in the fourth round.
Keen on a comeback by way of his speed, Khan has remained undefeated since then and has dominating victories over Devon “The Great” Alexander (26-4, 14 KOs) claiming the WBC Silver Welterweight title on December 13, 2014 and former WBO Super Lightweight World Champion, Chris Algieri (21-3, 8 KOs) on May 29, 2015. Canelo may have met his match as Khan confidently uses his speed to win decisive victories over his opponents.
The Canelo vs. Khan mega-fight will be one for the ages as the two fighters battle it out in a test of the ferocious against the fast. It will all remain to be seen who will be claimed the middleweight champion of the world when the powerful Canelo Alvarez and speedy Amir Khan come to a head on May 7th, 2016.
Photo by Ismael Gallardo/RBRBoxing
