Photo by Naoki Fukuda

The eyes of the boxing world will be on the luxurious new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this Saturday when Canelo Alvarez defends THE RING and WBC middleweight titles against Amir Khan in a 155-pound catchweight contest.

Among those with a vested interest in the outcome is unbeaten IBF welterweight titleholder Kell Brook. Thus far, the talented boxer-puncher has been unsuccessful in his attempts to lure Khan into a money-spinning domestic showdown but despite any hostilities, he refused to write-off his countryman who will enter the ring as a substantial underdog.

“Anything can happen in boxing,” said Brook, who is rated No. 1 by THE RING at 147 pounds. “Initially, I thought there is no way on Earth he could win that fight but, if he uses his fast hands and executes the perfect game plan, then there is a blueprint on how to beat Canelo.

“If you’re the supreme boxer, Floyd Mayweather has already shown that size doesn’t really matter when that bell rings. The problem is that Khan is no Mayweather and he likes to exchange too much.”

The 29-year-old Khan has had only four fights at welterweight, whereas Canelo, a naturally stronger looking specimen, was a junior middleweight in 2010. The hard-punching Mexican also appears to have outgrown that division with his previous four outings being contested at the aforementioned catchweight.

History, however, has shown that smaller men can use speed and elusiveness to outsmart and outmaneuver bigger foes. Think Michael Spinks shocking Larry Holmes. Think Sugar Ray Leonard dethroning Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Think Roy Jones Jr., outweighed by almost 30 pounds, toying with John Ruiz.

There are glaring differences though.

Holmes and Hagler were older than their respective opponents and way past their best, while Ruiz, a mediocre heavyweight, couldn’t hold a candle to Jones in terms of ability. Khan is a superb talent but he is going up against a larger opponent who is 25 years old, highly-skilled and at the peak of his powers.

Brook agreed, “Canelo is nowhere near the end of his career and although it’s a tricky fight, I think he’ll find the big punch and that’ll be all she wrote. He’s a young champion and a very proud Mexican, so he’ll be coming with bad intentions.

“We’ll see how he uses his presence to deal with a fighter who moves now. Has he learned from the loss to Mayweather? Will he be lighter on his feet? I think Khan has a real chance but I still believe he loses the fight.”

And regardless of the result in Las Vegas, does Brook believe that he will ever get a chance to face Amir Khan in that long-awaited UK dream match?

“No matter what, that fight will always be there because the fans want to see it,” said Brook who is now on the hunt for unification fights at welterweight.

“Khan is a big draw because he’s always in exciting fights and he’s a bit vulnerable about the whiskers. The fans like when a fighter can hurt opponents but is also at risk of being hurt himself.”

Tom Gray is a member of the British Boxing Writers’ Association and has contributed to various publications. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_Gray_Boxing

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