Amir Khan is the only man that has fought both Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez as a professional.
The two boxing greats are set to meet in a huge showdown in September, so Khan is better placed than most to determine who is potentially the better of the two.
Khan met Canelo back in May 2016 when he did the same thing Crawford will have to do himself later this year by stepping up two weight divisions to take on the Mexican superstar.
The Bolton boxer jumped up from welterweight to middleweight for the clash, but despite a relatively good start it ended in a crushing sixth round knockout win for Canelo, retaining his WBC middleweight title in the process.
Khan re-built his career with two straight victories and then took on Crawford at his natural welterweight in April 2019, but he suffered the same fate, as ‘Bud’ claimed a sixth round TKO victory to retain his WBO crown at 147lbs.
Having experienced what it was like to stand opposite both men in the ring, Khan told Ring Magazine who he deems to be the best between Crawford and Canelo, with the American just edging it.
“I lean more toward Crawford, but Canelo has to be up there. Terence Crawford was a beast … He makes you miss by inches and counter you back, hit you with shots you don’t see and that makes you not want to throw punches. Automatically he’s using his offence as a defence. He was so precise. He has to tick all the boxes.”
Time will tell whether Khan’s assessment proves to be correct, with ‘Bud’ attempting to upset the odds when he steps up super-middleweight to face Canelo in September, but his current weight seven months out from the fight has already shocked some fans.
