Amir Khan vs. Devon Alexander: Royal Battle winner might find himself in the next Mayweather sweepstakes

Amir Khan has endured a somewhat turbulent two plus years in the sport. Suffering a brutal knockout at the hands of 140lb kingpin Danny Garcia in 2012, Khan opted for a change of scenery and began a partnership with the man behind Andre Ward’s success, Virgil Hunter. Following two lackluster performances over Carlos Molina and Julio Diaz and despite winning on multiple voting polls, Amir Khan failed to secure a position opposite Floyd Mayweather in May of this year. Instead, Khan settled for a runner up spot pitted against Luis Collazo on the Mayweather vs Maidana card. Now a fully fledged welterweight, Khan delivered a solid performance, cracking Collazo with blinding combinations and sending the grizzled veteran to the canvas on three occasions. On this performance, moving to the welterweight division may prove fruitful.

‘Alexander The Great’ was a fitting moniker for Devon Alexander when he turned professional on the back of an outstanding amateur pedigree, which consisted of 310 bouts — 300 of which Alexander had his hand raised in victory. 28 professional bouts and three world titles later, Alexander is set to clash with a fellow amateur standout who rose to dizzying heights as a pro on December 13th.

Having dropped the 140lb title to Timothy Bradley in 2011 with a sub par performance, Alexander knocked off two hard hitting light welterweights in a row in Lucas Matthysse and Marcos Maidana. On the back end of 2012, Alexander removed the IBF welterweight strap from the waist of Randall Bailey. Following a tempestuous route similar to Amir Khan, Alexander dropped the IBF title to Shawn Porter in the back end of 2013. Once again Alexander brushed off the setback and returned to defeat Jesus Soto Karass in June of this year.

Speaking to the media whilst the bout was still being churned out in the rumor mill, Alexander shared his thoughts on what Khan has to offer come fight night, “As far as me versus Khan, skill versus skill, he isn’t a threat to me at all. He hasn’t fought too many guys with skills like mine in his career and I think that will be a factor in this fight.”

Certainly Alexander is somewhat slicker than the majority of Khan’s previous opposition. Fighting out of a southpaw stance, Alexander is a crafty operator with a solid jab to work behind. A defensively orientated fighter, Alexander looks to disengage upon landing a shot. This mentality has proven to be a stumbling block when under constant pressure such as the Bradley loss. Devon does not seem to adjust effectively if he is having to constantly defend. In terms of punch resistance, you would have to tip the odds in favor of Alexander. Khan is vulnerable to known punchers but with that being said, Devon is not a puncher, but may have enough pop to stun Khan if he connects with a solid shot on point.

Amir Khan’s mental make up is perhaps the biggest difference between these two fighters. Always willing to engage in brutal exchanges, some with devastating results, Hunter has had to place a leash on Khan so to speak. Virgil Hunter has rewired Khan’s instincts, which last time out proved a fruitful procedure. Khan displayed quick feet as the foundation to blitz attacks with Amir’s trademark lightening combinations before putting distance between himself and his opponent again. Maidana, Bailey and Purdy all allowed Devon to control the range, a luxury he likely won’t enjoy in this fight. Alexander’s reluctance at times to throw with opponents could potentially see Khan effectively raid Devon’s defense and land clean whilst keeping Alexander at a safe distance.

Both men will walk through the curtain at the MGM Grand at a crossroads so to speak. A pivotal point in their respective careers. Victims of the underdog, both men experienced career points on both sides of the fence. One were to take a skeptical stance and assume the hotly anticipated Mayweather vs Pacquaio bout will fall through again, Amir Khan or Devon Alexander could well find themselves sharing a ring with boxing’s cashcow come May 3rd.

Drawing comparisons on possibilities moving forward, Amir Khan must be favoured out of the two to land the spot opposite one of the sport’s two top stars should he emerge victorious on Saturday night. Speaking to media recently, Khan expressed a desire to face both Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio within the next twelve month period. Having emerged the winner of numerous fan polls to face Mayweather over Marcos Maidana, and as a former sparring partner of Manny Pacquiao, there is a ready made foundation laid for the promotional build up to either bout. With that being said, Khan has overlooked the immediate danger in the past whilst becoming far sighted. That would be a mistake with a formidable foe to vanquish in Devon Alexander before any mega fight appears on the horizon.