Khan hoping to outsmart Canelo, avoid slugfest
Amir Khan has added some extra bulk to his frame for the 155-pound catchweight bout against WBC middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on May 7, but he insists that victory will depend on his mental game.
Khan (31-3, 19 KOs), who is set to challenge the naturally larger, and seemingly more powerful, Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, has never competed above the 147-pound welterweight division. However, the former junior welterweight champion doesn't believe he's compromised his quickness and sees himself carrying a discernible advantage in ring smarts.
"It's the strongest I've been for any fight, having that little bit of extra weight can only give me that extra advantage in getting power but the speed is still there," Khan told ESPN. "All round I feel so much stronger as a fighter. I've sparred a lot of rounds with heavier guys and I've done a lot of strength work in my legs by training on sand to help with the later rounds.
"The speed is still there but this fight will be more mental - I have to win it with my brains. I can't let my courage take over because it could get me in trouble, it has in the past, but I'm much smarter and wiser now."
Khan is a heavy underdog with the oddsmakers against Alvarez, whose only career loss came against Floyd Mayweather on points. But Khan won his last five fights and says he's learned from some of his tougher bouts, including two knockout losses.
"I used to get involved in tear-ups and take risks, like I did against Marcos Maidana," Khan said. "But I haven't left myself open in my last few fights and relied on my skills to beat Chris Algieri, Devon Alexander, and Luis Collazo on points.
"And that's how I see this fight going. I will be too smart and too fast for him. The more videos I see of Canelo the more confident I am I will win this fight and become middleweight world champion, which will be huge, it will be a massive shock to the world. But not to me because I believe I can win this world title."