When news broke last week that Canelo Alvarez will defend his middleweight crown against Amir Khan this May, the boxing world was taken a bit by surprise. It was already known that Canelo would be defending his title some time in May, probably at a weight limit of 155 pounds. But of all the opponents he could have chosen, Amir Khan was probably the last boxer most fans would have expected. After all, Khan hasn’t had any signature victories at the welterweight limit of 147, and he never even competed at 154. Now he will be challenging Canelo for his lineal middleweight championship.
Some fans are angry about the news, believing this fight makes a mockery of the middleweight title. Other fans are pleased and view this as a potentially interesting clash of styles. Others still are only interested in this news as far as it pertains to the fate of fellow middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin. But the main thing to keep in mind when considering the implications of what this fight means in the bigger picture, the good news is boxing fans are talking about this fight and some of them have an awful lot to say on this matter.
Meanwhile Golovkin is slated to defend his IBF title against his mandatory challenger, the unheralded Dominic Wade this April. Many fans were hoping that Golovkin would be involved in a more significant match-up, but that wasn’t apt to happen after he had agreed to allow Canelo a voluntary defense. In theory, if Canelo and Golovkin both win their upcoming respective match-ups, they will have a high profile showdown later this year, possibly in September. But many observers do not believe the fight will actually materialize this year.
This edition of Rummy’s Corner takes a look into the announcement of the May contest between Canelo and Khan, while also exploring what the implications are for Gennady Golovkin has he continued to wait in the wings.
Hope you enjoy the video!