Amir Khan has made his prediction for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s super-fight with Terence Crawford, as the only boxer to have fought both men as a professional.
The now-retired Khan was viciously knocked out by Canelo in 2016, and lost to Crawford by TKO in 2019 after his corner threw in the towel following an accidental low blow.
Next, the Mexican and American stars are set to square off in Las Vegas on 13 September. At Allegiant Stadium, 35-year-old Canelo will defend the undisputed super-middleweight titles against Crawford, 37, who has already held undisputed titles at super-lightweight and welterweight.
However, in facing Canelo at 168lb, the unbeaten Crawford will be hitting a career-high weight by far. His current high is a sole outing at 154lb last year, when he outpointed Israel Madrimov.
“There are weights for a reason in boxing,” Khan told The Ring recently. “I have huge respect for Crawford for showing the b***s and fighting a beast like Canelo.
“Maybe Crawford is seeing something in Canelo that others are not seeing, and that he is past his sell-by date. And maybe Crawford is the guy to catch him at the right time. Let’s see, I think it’s a brilliant fight.
“I’m going to support my boy, Terence Crawford. He’s a good friend of mine. I think he can do it. He has a great boxing IQ; his IQ is perfect, and he can see everything.
“Crawford does hit hard, a lot of people don’t give Crawford the credit for the punch power he has. I’ve been in the ring with him, he’s hit me hard.
“Obviously the most powerful fighter between the two is going to be Canelo, but I think Crawford still has enough power to hurt Canelo and push him back, and that he is there in front of him as a challenge.”
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Crawford was in Khan’s corner in 2022, when the Briton – now 38 – fought for the final time. On that night in Manchester, Khan suffered a stoppage loss to Kell Brook in a grudge match that was years in the making.
Crawford himself had previously boxed Brook, stopping the British fighter in the fourth round in 2020.
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