Would Khan victory rule out UK superfight?

Amir Khan tackles a tough opponent and a move up the weight classes on May 7th in Las Vegas and there’s been a lot of talk about how he will fare in the size and strength stakes on the night.

Khan (31-3) has to be respected for taking such a bout with not much leaning in his favour. Pundits and bookies alike have been debating his chances and early Bet365 betting odds suggest he is 10/3 to win, with his Mexican counterpart at 2/9.

Canelo’s power is the primary concern, having 32 KOs amongst his 46 wins and being the naturally bigger man. Khan’s chin is also in question and, when power meets chin, who knows what’ll happen.

His ability to make it through the fight unscathed will be challenged, but it wouldn’t be the biggest upset the boxing world has seen should Khan manage to pull it off. He has superior attributes of his own, with his speed being the main one, and it’s feasible that he could use this to mould it into the kind of fight that suits him well.

“It’s not all about weight,” Khan noted. “It’s about making sure your ring IQ is good, your skills are better, and speed.”

At 46-1-1, Alvarez is clearly not bereft of the brain power needed to win fights, but anybody can make a mistake and anybody can be beaten. Khan is hoping to be the dog that has its day.

If he is, then it begins to throw out even more questions about the future. He wants to be world champion again and Alvarez’s silverware will do for now. However, it’s at middleweight, two weight classes up from where Khan has been operating. So, would success there have other effects?

If he feels strong, powerful and fast at the weight then there’s no real reason why he couldn’t continue on, especially as he grows older, but it would potentially scupper the biggest all UK super-fight in a long time with Kell Brook.

Brook (36-0) holds the IBF world title and the pair have had no shortage of exchanges, stoking the fires for a grudge match down the line. But he is still operating at welterweight. It’s a division Khan can make but, with a concerted effort to add more muscle and size to take on Canelo, would it be a drop back down he’d like to make? Would the grudge be strong enough to lure him?

This is all hinging on a hypothetical win, but if Khan is beaten then it makes any potential clash with Brook even less likely. Coming off a loss – despite having fought the higher calibre of opponent – would really set Khan back. You would expect that to put a dampener on the two Brits fighting each other for the world title, unless the money made it worthwhile. 

There’s a lot of conjecture right now, but the fans want Khan vs. Brook. There are only a few circumstances where it seems that would be possible, so if you want it to happen then you’d better be willing the Bolton man on to do the business in May.