Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez and Terence Crawford are set to face off this September in Las Vegas.
In a total of 107 bouts across both records, the two men have just one shared opponent: Amir Khan. The British fan favourite faced Canelo in May 2016.
Khan, known for his speed and agility, jumped up two weight classes – like Crawford will – to challenge Canelo for the WBC middleweight title. In the early rounds, his speed and movement caused trouble, but Canelo slowly began to close the distance. The fight ended dramatically in the sixth when he landed a thunderous overhand right that knocked Khan unconscious.
In 2019, Crawford dropped Khan in the first round of their welterweight bout. The fight would end in the sixth when Khan’s trainer, Virgil Hunter, put a stop to the action after a low blow from Crawford, though many felt it only sped up the inevitable win for the American.
Speaking to the Ring Magazine, Khan had little doubt that Canelo – who he told Seconds Out is a ‘beast’ – is the hardest puncher he has ever faced.
“When he hit me, I didn’t really feel the punch, I was knocked out before I hit the floor. I do remember everything.”
Khan also considers Alvarez the strongest opponent he faced, recalling that he struggled to force the Mexican to take a step back.
“Canelo was heavier than me but someone at my own weight was Kell Brook. Canelo was a hard motherf9cker! I was hitting him with some combinations, and he wouldn’t go back. Normally you get guys who are coming forward and slowly cutting the ring down.
I was catching him with some good shots and thinking, ‘take a step back.’ that’s what I wanted him to do, so I could throw a flurry of punches, so I can hit him with them and to take a step back and I could start to dictate with them, but he wouldn’t let me.”
However, Khan does believe that Crawford has the power to push Canelo back, and has said that he believes the American switch-hitter can overcome the gulf in weight to win.
