Amir Khan – Devon Alexander: Breaking It Down By the Numbers

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By “Big” Bill Bradshaw

In a year that saw GGG establish himself as the Middleweight king, when Sergey Kovalev proved that he can box as well as punch, when Manny Pacquiao righted the terrible wrong that was done in his first fight with Bradley, when Wladimir Klitschko reinforced his dominance of the heavyweight division and when Floyd Mayweather, JR. produced the ultimate ‘slippery slope’ performance against a hand-picked opponent not once, but twice, we go to years end with Amir Khan Vs Devon Alexander as our Christmas gift from the boxing fraternity. This bout was to have happened last year but the lure of a Mayweather, JR. bout clouded Khan’s judgement and Floyd spent the following months playing cat and mouse with the Bolton man.

I felt some sympathy for Khan at that time as the debacle ended with several other fighters publicly pleading with Khan to preserve whatever integrity he had left and put a stop to the groveling for Floyd’s attention. Ironic when you consider that Floyd Mayweather, JR. TBE (The Best Excuses), who was fairly beaten in his first bout with Castillo, has made a career out of avoiding tough bouts, Margarito, the rematch with Oscar and, of course, his obvious fear of fighting Pacquiao. Even his most erratic supporters are calling for the bout to happen regardless of the outcome. Khan will be hoping, yet again, that a Mayweather, JR. bout may be in the making but most fans couldn’t care less. Feeling sympathy, as I do, for Khan doesn’t negate the fact that Devon Alexander also trained for last year’s bout and his plans were thrown into disarray due to Khan’s folly. His switch to the bout with Shawn Porter proved disastrous and, when you consider Porter was dethroned by Kell Brook in only his second defense, Alexander would be well entitled to feel bitter with Khan.

I think Khan has something. His speed is impressive and his power unquestionable. He is not an offensive guy although I think many would find him guilty by association with Naseem Hamed. He is not Hamed and, as it happens, he makes for an entertaining pundit when in the commentary box. I don’t need to highlight his huge weakness…four letter word…starts with a C…ends on a stretcher. Khan’s chin would make Tommy Hearns’ jaw look like a marble carving and I don’t believe that Virgil Hunter can change that. Turning Khan into ‘a thinking man’s fighter’. His performance against Luis Collazo was a cautious one but to suggest that the Collazo of May 2014 was even a shadow of the peak tough tactician of old would be an insult to the sport and all who sail on her. Collazo was a fine fighter in his day and my best wishes go to the great man in his quest for recovery. If the crouching style of Amir Khan as a thinking man’s fighter is what we can look forward to in the future, then it’s adios mi amigo and sayonara. Sure, Virgil Hunter can try to tighten his defense but Khan will resort to instinct when he’s under pressure so, get that right and have him hit with extra speed and power.

Alexander could never be accused of bringing excitement to the party. A technically sound but mind numbingly dull boxer, Alexander has only failed to find victory on two occasions. Whereas Khan was rubber in his bouts with Prescott and Garcia, Alexander lost an incredibly close fight against p4p regular Tim Bradley and he lost a decision to the new kid on the block Shaun Porter in a fight that was a replacement to the proposed bout with Khan. With 14 KO’s in his 26 fights, he’s no slouch but his last stoppage was against the tough Juan Urango in 2010. I just don’t see him as a banger but, having seen Khan wobbled by Carlos Molina and dropped by Julio Diaz, I’m not sure Alexander really needs to have hands of stone in this one.

This is a make or break fight for both men. Another defeat for Khan and he’s lost whatever foothold he has in the US. This fight is being staged in the MGM Grand, Las Vegas so, if you’re going to reach for the stars, this is your platform. A win would put him in the mix for a mega payday against either Mayweather, JR. or Pacquaio and a massive all British showdown with Kell Brook would be on the table. For Alexander, a loss will see him drift into the lonely realms of the ‘Where are they now’. A win would almost certainly justify a rematch with Bradley and may earn him a crack at Kell Brook for his old IBF Welterweight Title, although Juan Manuel Marquez may have something to say about that. Either way, this could be a good fight. If Khan does what Khan does best I think he just might do it but, if he fancies himself as a thinking man’s fighter on the night, the only winner would be Alexander.