Photo by Naoki Fukuda

LAS VEGAS – Much of the talk among boxing aficionados surrounding Saturday’s Canelo Alvarez-Amir Khan showdown has been about whether Canelo will face Gennady Golovkin for his next fight. It’s been just about a foregone conclusion that the Mexican will run right over Khan and head toward bigger and better things.

But what happens if Khan defeats Canelo?

Would he have the same issues defending his newly acquired middleweight titles (THE RING, WBC, lineal) if he was the 160-pound champion? After all, Khan has been a bit critical of Canelo not defending the middleweight titles at the 160-pound weight limit. But considering that fighting at a catchweight of 155 pounds is a stretch, would Khan simply ditch the titles or begin a campaign as a middleweight?

“It just depends what’s out there,” Khan told RingTV.com when asked if he considered fighting as a middleweight. “At the end of the day, I have to look after my health. I’m not going to fight guys who are naturally too big.”

Khan said that it would all be dependent on how he feels and, most importantly, his performance against Canelo on May 7. If he were to pull off the upset, the Brit said that he would consider honoring the weight limits of the division.

“There are some great names in the 160-pound division and I’m not one to say I’m going to be the 155-pound champion because it’s not real,” Khan said. “That title needs to be at 160 pounds so those fighters have a chance to win it.”

Of course, winning the WBC middleweight title would also mean that he would inherit the mandatory challenger for the title, Gennady Golovkin.

“It’s a massive fight and I always have said I want to be in a fight of that magnitude,” Khan said. “But I want to see how I strong I feel in this fight,” he said. “You never know? This could be a good weight for me. And if I do well in this fight I’m probably going to stay at 160 and defend that title. I won the title for a reason. There are names like GGG out there and I’m not saying no.”

SUBSCRIBE

You can subscribe to the print and digital editions of THE RING Magazine by clicking the banner or here. You can also order the current issue, which is on newsstands, or back issues from our subscribe page. On the cover this month: Canelo Alvarez readies himself for an intriguing clash with Britain’s Amir Khan on May 7.