It Will Be Speed Vs Power When Saul “Canelo” Alvarez Takes on Amir “King” Khan

By Anthony “Stacks” Saldaña

Saturday night the WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, 46-1-1, 32 KO’s from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, will make his first middleweight title defense against former two-time world champion Amir “King” Khan 31-3, 19 KO’s. As always, Cinco De Mayo weekend, will match up two of the biggest stars in boxing. Canelo who won the Lineal title by defeating Miguel Cotto last November at the Mandalay Bay will put his WBC middleweight title on the line as he takes on Khan at a catch-weight of 155lbs. The fight will be held at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and a crowd of 20,000 is expected to witness a traditional Power Vs Speed match-up. Khan who has never fought above welterweight in his career is significant underdog going into his bout with the Mexican Superstar Alvarez. The consensus is that Canelo’s power and strength will be the deciding factor in the fight.

Khan recently stated during a press conference “I can only beat him by using my speed and skill. It might go the full distance; I think it probably will. It’s all about being one step ahead of him, catching him with some good shots, making him fall short and keep boxing him. So, I really believe he is going to have big problems going into the later rounds especially with the speed. Like I said, with the speed now, we have a lot of power, having put a little bit more weight on. When I do hit him with these quick shots, he is definitely going to be hurt by them. I feel nice and strong going into the fight. Whatever Canelo brings in the ring, I know I have answers for that and I am going to be more than ready.”

Canelo who is the naturally bigger and stronger man coming into the fight will probably come into the ring somewhere around 175lbs Saturday night. During his recent media workout Canelo stated “I always prepare 100 percent for every fight. They only thing that changes is the strategy. Every fighter is different, every fighter brings different skills and you have to adjust for that. For Amir, we have focused on increasing my hand speed, counter punching and preparing for lots of movement and footwork . We believe Amir will adopt a similar style to Floyd Mayweather, JR. and Erislandy Lara, however, we have made sure that I am prepared for that style of boxing and anything he brings to the table to not be surprised on fight night. I have my game plan and he has his. We are both preparing to the best of our ability to what we know are each other’s strengths. Yet, fight night can be very unpredictable. You have to adjust to what your opponent is doing and also apply pressure at the same time. I can’t predict a definite outcome, but I can say that I am going to bring the best of me in the ring. I don’t like to talk trash just to be able to sell fights. What I do is I train hard and do my talking in the ring. I want people to respect me and to follow my fights, not because of what I say but by “what I do.”

Before Canelo and Khan step in the ring Saturday night, Canada’s biggest boxing star and former IBF Middleweight World Champion David Lemieux, 34-3, 31 KO’s will be looking to make an impression and use his power against the swift contender from Passaic, New Jersey, Glen “Jersey Boy” Tapia, 23-2, 15 KO’s “I am back!” I am coming back strong and ready to be on top of the middleweight division where I belong”, said Lemieux.

“This is a make or break moment, I can’t wait to show everyone what I am made of. People will see a new and improved Glen Tapia and this is the best place to show it; as part of a stellar undercard. I know David will be a tough opponent, but I am ready for this challenge to take on the best in the division, said Tapia.

In a 10-round middleweight co-main event. As part of the televised undercard, top rated contender, Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera, 22-5, 7 KO’s of Riverside, Calif. will move up to welterweight to face East Los Angeles’ undefeated star Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez, 20-0, 13 KO’s in a 10-round welterweight fight sure to excite boxing fans. “May 7 is the day I have to slaughter another young lion to prove myself again!” “Frankie Gomez is a strong fighter that will bring the absolute best out of me. I will be in tip top shape for the mega-event”, said Herrera.
“This is the kind of fight I have been training for my entire career. Herrera is a recognized and ranked fighter, he has a lot of experience and it’s my chance to prove myself and show everyone who has doubted me, what I can do in the ring. I feel very excited to be part of a great undercard, fans can expect an exciting night, don’t miss it”, said Gomez.

Plus opening up the pay-per-view telecast, heavy-handed Brazilian star Patrick Teixeira, 26-0, 22 KO’s is set to face former world title challenger Curtis “Showtime” Stevens, 27-5, 20 KO’s in a 10-round career-defining middleweight bout. “I am excited to be part of one of the biggest boxing events of the year. I promise to go out to the ring fully prepared for the best Curtis Stevens and show that I am a fighter to be feared in the middleweight division. I want to thank my team and Golden Boy Promotions for this opportunity, and on May 7 fans can expected to see an exciting fight opening the televised event”, said Patrick Teixeira.

“This guy is a zero and has got to go. I’m ready to start climbing up in the rankings again and am happy to be on this great HBO card with my man Canelo Alvarez”, said Stevens.

Undercard fights:

Diego De La Hoya, 14-0, 8 KO’s Vs Rocco Santomauro, 13-0, 1 KO (Super Bantamweight) 8/10 rounds

Jason Quigley, 10-0, 9 KO’s Vs James De La Rosa, 23-3, 13 KO’s (Middleweight) 10 rounds
Lamont Roach, JR., 10-0, 3-KO’s Vs Jose Esquivel, 9-4, 2 KO’s (Super Featherweight) 8 round
Rashidi Ellis, 14-0, 11 KO’s Vs Marco Antonio Lopez, 24-8, 15 KO’s (Super Welterweight) 8 rounds
David Mijares (debut) Vs Omar Reyes, 1-2 (Super Lightweights) 4 rounds.

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