Amir Khan – Bulked up and ready to go against Canelo
Published:
Amir Khan will attempt to make history when he steps into the ring to take on Middleweight kingpin Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez on May 8 and the Bolton boxer has had to bulk up in order to stand a fighting chance.
Many pundits have claimed Khan has bitten off more than he can chew by taking on the big hitting Mexican and the betting seemingly agrees, with Canelo priced up as the 3/10 favourite.
Khan’s biggest asset will be his blistering hand speed and if he can maintain such pace at the heavier weight there are plenty of people suggesting he can upset odds of 5/2 to claim Alvarez’s titles.
In order to stand even half a chance, however, Khan has had to bulk up to a size no one has ever seen him reach before.
Here, we chart his rise from skinny amateur to bonafide Middleweight contender…
Athens Olympics – 2004
Khan was brought to the nation’s attention with some stunning displays at the Athens Olympics. While he would fall short in the final against the experienced Mario Kindelan, a star was born …
Pro Debut – 2005
Having claimed a silver medal in Athens Khan was earmarked for big things in the pro ranks and made his bow at lightweight with a first-round stoppage of David Bailey in front of a packed Bolton Arena…
Commonwealth Lightweight Title- 2007
With a professional record of 12-0 Khan stepped things up a gear at the O2 Arena to take on domestic rival Willie Limond for the Commonwealth Lightweight title. It was Khan’s first scheduled 12 rounder but he only needed eight, recovering from an early knockdown to stop the Glaswegian inside the distance…
WBA Light Welterweight Title – 2009
Khan stepped up – in weight and class – again in July 2009 to take on Ukrainian WBA Light Welterweight champion Andreas Kotelnik. Having beaten the likes of Junior Witter, Gavin Rees and Marcos Maidana, the older man was a tough nut to crack but Khan prevailed at the heavier weight, taking the title by unanimous decision…
IBF Light Welterweight Title – 2011
Khan impressed in his retention of the WBA crown, reeling off wins against Dmitry Salita, Paulie Malignaggi, Maidana and Paul McCloskey before a unification bout with IBF champ Zab Judah in Las Vegas. Khan rose to the occasion, knocking the American out in the fifth…
Stepping up to welterweight – 2014
In a bid to take on the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao Khan stepped up to Welterweight and despite beating the likes of Julio Diaz, Luis Collazo, Devon Alexander and Chris Algieri – picking the WBA International and WBC Silver titles in the process – is overlooked by both men…
Beefing up for Canelo – 2016
While the British boxing community held its breath for Khan to face Kell Brook, the Bolton lad shocked the UK and the rest of the boxing world by announcing his fight with Alvarez. Many question the wisdom of stepping up in weight again and whether or not he can do. If the below tweet is anything to go by, however, our man is pumped up and ready to take on Mexico’s pound-for-pound king…
#AmirKhan is massive. If he’s retained his hand-speed, mobility and accuracy; he’ll beat #Canelo easily. pic.twitter.com/53XRy2WlFe
— Gregor (@mrgregorallan) March 27, 2016
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
