Amir Khan and Devon Alexander have to deliver in career-defining fight
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Version 0 of 1. There are cowboys everywhere you look. The national rodeo finals have rolled into Las Vegas bringing with them the widest array of Stetsons ever seen. For Amir Khan, though, it is time to saddle up and make sure a bucking bronco by the name of Devon Alexander does not throw him into the dirt once and for all. At the age of 28, with three defeats blotting his record and stunting his progress, the Briton knows one more loss here late on Saturday night will be terminal. There will be no dates with Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao. A large payday will remain the stuff of dreams. Even a win will not guarantee Mayweather, the self-anointed king of the ring, will want to encounter Khan, whose speed and movement would severely unsettle him. The promoter Eddie Hearn is pushing for a showdown at Wembley Stadium with Kell Brook, the IBF welterweight champion. It would be a fascinating fight – there are huge questions over Brook’s ability to recover from a knife attack this year – and could well be the most realistic option. After all, Mayweather has already toyed with the boy from Bolton and, despite Khan’s camp believing a deal had been arranged, the American went elsewhere, much to the 2004 Olympic silver medallist’s chagrin. The original fight with Alexander for this time last year was canned as a result. At the MGM Grand, though, it is well and truly back on. The stakes are high. They are career defining. The equation for Khan is simple: he must deliver. “I don’t think the loser will ever have the chance to have that big super-fight against Pacquiao or Mayweather,” he said. “We’re both in a position in our careers where we can’t afford to lose this and if we want to get to the next level up, we have to win. “The one I’m chasing is the Floyd fight and I can’t afford to make any mistakes now. It’s about doing things smart, having a gameplan and following my path and my path is to fight best out there. “At the moment Alexander is in front of me. He’s a very dangerous opponent and I’m not looking past this fight. I know he has a lot of tools and skills. I know he’s going to come into the fight with a gameplan, wanting to beat me, but I’m the more hungry fighter when it comes down to it. “Speed wise, he’s quick, but I’m quicker. When it comes down to power, I’m stronger as well. It is going to be a game of chess at times and at times I’ll be fighting him. I’ve watched a lot of videos of him and in his last fight, especially, he likes to stand there and fight. “We’re going to stick to a gameplan which Virgil has given me, not make mistakes and just stay calm and be professional. He’s one of the best out there. You could say he’s one of the top three or four guys I’ve faced.” While Khan stresses his speed and power will be too much for Alexander to handle, the American believes timing – and not quickness of hand – will be key. “It’s very important to win in style and I realise that even though I beat Julio Díaz, you need to win in good fashion to get those big super-fights,” Khan said. “I want to send a statement around the world. I really believe I have the fitness, the movement and skills to do it. I’m very calm. Alexander will have a little bit more pressure. I’ve fought on top bills in Vegas before. I know exactly what to expect. “Maybe if I had fought him a year ago and beat him, then the Mayweather fight would have been next. Sometimes you should go with the flow instead of hoping for something to happen. “There’s pressure on him because he has to win this fight. He’s not really a big name like myself and it would be hard for him to get a massive fight if he loses. This is boxing, anything can happen. One fight can change everything.” As Khan goes into battle, less than half a mile away the Irish-born London fighter Andy Lee, who is trained by Adam Booth, will be going for the vacant WBO middleweight world title against the Russian Matvey Korobov. Lee, 30, whose last attempt to earn global recognition ended at the hands of Julio Chávez Jr two years ago, concedes another failure could signal the end of his career. Just like Khan, everything is firmly on the line. |