Canelo Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto Winner Predicted by Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao

Amir Khan has backed Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to knock out Miguel Cotto when the two square off for the WBC middleweight title.

The pair are due to battle it out in Las Vegas on November 21 in one of the most hotly anticipated fights of the year. It’s set to be a close scrap, although Alvarez is the favourite in the eyes of most, including Khan.

“I think it will be an exciting fight, but I clearly think Canelo will win, and I even see him winning by knockout,” said the Brit, per Miguel Rivera of BoxingScene.com. “I don't think Cotto can deal with youth, strength and speed of Canelo."

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Khan is better placed than most to offer insight into this one. Cotto is being trained by Freddie Roach, who was the Brit’s coach up until 2012. He also used to be stablemates with Canelo when both men were under the Golden Boy banner, which Khan left in December 2014.

Alvarez remains a part of Golden Boy Promotions, and as noted here by football analyst Jack Rathborn, the pressure is on him to beat Cotto in November and become a figurehead for the brand:

It’s easy to see why the youngster is the favourite. With just one loss on his record, to the great Floyd Mayweather, Alvarez is one of the most exciting fighters in the world at the moment. As we can see here, Canelo was a hugely impressive winner in his previous bout, dismantling James Kirkland and finishing the fight with a brutal knockout:

Still, it’d be misguided to completely write off Cotto, who has only lost four times in his distinguished career. Two of those losses came against Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao at their very best, too.

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The man from Puerto Rico has won his last three fights in succession after a disappointing defeat to Austin Trout and has shown time after time in previous bouts that he has what it takes to dig deep and pull off big results. Pacquiao thinks he has what it takes to do so once again.

“Canelo is a good fighter, but I see Cotto winning the fight by decision,” Manny told ESPN Deportes (h/t Rivera of BoxingScene.com). “Miguel Cotto has good boxing, has experience, is having a good moment [in his career], but above everything, he has Freddie Roach who inspires anyone.”

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It’s an impressive name to get backing from and something that’ll surely act as a source of inspiration for Cotto. He’s one of the few fighters in the world who has the durability to live with Canelo’s vibrant punching style and then throw something back. So it’d be a surprise, as impressive as the Mexican has been, to see this fight become lopsided.

Still, a win for Alvarez does look likely. Cotto has made some positive strides in recent fights, and his renowned warrior spirit seems to remain intact. However, Canelo will be too energetic and quick, and he will ultimately start to grind the Puerto Rican down as the bout draws on. It may not be a flashy knockout finish, but any victory against a fierce competitor like Cotto should be cherished.