Not surprisingly, Amir Khan says that if he manages to beat Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in their hugely intriguing May 7th fight, it will be the biggest and best thing he has ever done in his boxing career. The former 140-pound champion, in talking to Sky Sports, said it would be a “dream come true to be called the middleweight world champion.”
And Khan, who has been bulking up with weights as well as strength and conditioning training yet claims he is just as fast, with both his hands and his feet, is looking at an exceptional fighter’s exceptional achievement as inspiration going into the 155-pound clash: Sugar Ray Leonard’s fabulously unforgettable (and also controversial) points win over Marvellous Marvin Hagler in 1987.
Speaking with Sky, Khan pointed to the great Leonard’s win over the equally great Hagler as “proof” that a fast and explosive welterweight can move up and defeat a formidable middleweight.
“It’s going to be amazing to be called the middleweight world champion and that’s like a dream come true,” Khan said. “Even though I achieved a lot in my amateur days and also as a professional, I still think winning this fight against such a big name in Canelo, and becoming the middleweight champion, will be bigger than anything I’ve done. I know it can happen, because we’ve seen it happen in the past, when Sugar Ray Leonard took on Marvin Hagler. He was in a very similar position to me, where people were saying he was going to get beaten up, get knocked out and get hurt. He was going up two weight divisions and he went in there and beat Marvin Halger. Sugar Ray Leonard was a great, great fighter but I really believe this is going to take me up to another level.”
Now – as the astute fight fans who leave comments on this site are almost certain to point out – it’s all well and good Khan looking at, and pointing to, Leonard’s marvellous night as inspiration as well as proof that the kind of odds he now faces can be overcome; but Khan needs to be reminded of one or two things: firstly, Hagler, though still a great fighter, was an ageing great fighter at the time of the Leonard fight. Also, Leonard is an all-time great who proved he could do what only the special fighters can – and even then there are many fans and experts who still feel to this day that Leonard did not deserve the split decision he was awarded with nearly 29 years ago.
Khan is a fine fighter – fast, explosive and absolutely full of heart and courage – but he is no Sugar Ray Leonard. Okay, Canelo is no Marvin Hagler, but what he is is a far naturally heavier and more powerful fighter than Khan and he is at or around his absolute peak. Can Khan really be expected to befuddle, frustrate and at times outbox Alvarez the way Sugar Ray did Hagler that April night in 1987? When has Khan displayed the mixture of superb fighting brain and cunning – with no shortage of toughness and grit (okay, Khan has these two qualities in his arsenal) thrown in – Leonard had and used against Hagler?
Khan is right about one thing; no-one is giving him too much of a chance against Canelo, which was the same case for Leonard as he approached the Hagler fight. Khan deserves a ton of credit for taking this ultra-risky fight, but the odds will not be defied on May 7th 2016 the way they were on April 6th 1987.