Amir Khan vs. Devon Alexander: Preview and Prediction for Welterweight Bout
Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas two of the best fighters in the welterweight division face off when Amir Khan battles Devon Alexander. The Ring has them rated at nine and 10 respectively. BoxRec has Alexander eight and Khan at 11.
To be at or near the top 10 in the hyper-competitive welterweight division requires an impressive resume. Alexander is a two-division world champion, and Khan was briefly rated No. 1 in the world at light welterweight.
Both men have seen better days in their careers, but with neither yet 30 the winner on Saturday will find himself right back in the thick of things at the top of the division.
Tale of the Tape
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| Per BoxRec | Amir Khan | Devon Alexander |
| Record: | 29-3, 19 KOs | 26-2, 14 KOs |
| Height: | 5'8.5" | 5'8.5" |
| Reach: | 71" | 70" |
| Weight: | 147 lbs | 147 lbs |
| Age: | 27 | 28 |
| Stance: | Orthodox | Southpaw |
| Hometown: | Bolton, England | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Rounds: | 179 | 189 |
Amir Khan and Devon Alexander are extremely close in size and have many of the same physical attributes. With Alexander fighting southpaw and Khan orthodox, each man will be looking at something of a mirror image.
Khan and Alexander are extremely experienced fighters at the world-class level for both being shy of 30. Each one has had multiple world championship fights against other top stars.
Main Storylines
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For a long time last year it looked like this bout was going to happen in the latter half of 2014, when Devon Alexander was still the IBF welterweight champion. But Amir Khan delayed making it while waiting to see if his ticket in the Floyd Mayweather sweepstakes would come in, and Alexander ended up fighting Shawn Porter last December, who took his title by hard-fought unanimous decision.
Khan is still waiting for his shot at Mayweather. His last fight was in May against Luis Collazo. Khan looked outstanding in that fight, but Collazo is hardly a top-tier performer, especially at this point in his career.
If Khan can beat Alexander in this fight, it should at least keep the Brit in the running for a fight with Mayweather next year. But a win here is hardly a sure thing.
Khan and Alexander are both quick, talented fighters who do many of the same things well. I think both of them tend to get unfairly maligned by the boxing public, but an unbiased assessment has to allow that both men have been competing at a very high level since a young age and have garnered significant accomplishments in their careers.
Khan was an Olympic silver medalist before turning 18. He was viewed as a sure-bet superstar in some corners, but his early career was derailed when he got blasted in Round 1 by Breidis Prescott in September 2008.
Khan came back strong and worked his way up to the top of the light welterweight division but then suffered a disastrous loss to Danny Garcia by Round 5 TKO in 2012. Unfairly or not, he's developed a reputation for having a glass jaw.
Alexander is a two-division world champion. His only two losses came against Timothy Bradley and Shawn Porter, both compact, physically powerful fighters.
I think Alexander got a gift decision in his win over Lucas Matthysse. But he was pure class against Marcos Maidana, who he beat by a near shutout. He may not be the most exciting fighter in the welterweight division, but he is one of the better talents out there.
Strength
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Amir Khan has extremely quick hands and feet. He has outstanding vision and picks up openings to attack very well.
While Khan does not have thunderous power, his big punches arrive with such speed and surprise that he does have the ability to change the direction of a fight with a single punch.
Devon Alexander is also a very quick, athletic fighter. He has a strong amateur background, and his southpaw stance makes him tricky. Like Khan, he's not exactly a power puncher but has enough pop to win a fight with a big punch or series of punches.
Alexander has an underrated chin. He took some flush shots from the monster-punching Randall Bailey.
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Weaknesses
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Amir Khan has a rap for having a poor chin, but I think it is more accurate to say that he reacts poorly to getting caught. When Khan was rattled by Lamont Peterson and Marcos Maidana, he was quick to abandon his boxing and mix it up in a brawl, making both of those fights closer than they should have been.
Khan also relies too much on his speed to get off first and get out of the way. He leaves his chin up and his hands down far too often. A patient, tactical fighter like Danny Garcia was able to capitalize on this and drill Khan with brutal punches.
Devon Alexander also has a bad habit of leaving his chin up high when he punches. If he does that Saturday, it will offer some juicy targets for the speedy Khan.
Alexander has been a pro a long time and a good one, but I still see flashes of amateur style in his game, especially when he's flurrying in tight. He often looks to be "shoe-shining" to score quickly rather than sitting down hard on his punches and covering up to block the counter. It's hurt him against rugged fighters like Timothy Bradley and Shawn Porter.
Amir Khan Will Win If...
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Like so many fights between good boxers, everything in this one is going to start with the jab. Amir Khan needs to establish a crisp, busy jab if he wants to set up his bigger punches and win this fight.
Since he's fighting a southpaw, Khan needs to be extremely aware of the placement of his lead left foot. If he comes forward aggressively with his lead foot inside of Alexander's lead right foot, Alexander will be able to touch him with the left hand, possibly with disastrous consequences.
Khan has to be careful to tuck his chin behind his shoulder when he is exchanging and get his hands back into good defensive position after throwing a punch. Khan relies on his speed to win fights, but Alexander is quick too.
If Khan gets clipped with a good shot, he's got to stay relaxed and react with intelligence. If he gets hurt he needs to either back out of range behind his jab or clinch. He has to avoid the impulse to stay in the pocket and trade more furiously.
Devon Alexander Will Win If...
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Devon Alexander has some similarities with Amir Khan. He likes to box from a distance and uses his speed.
So he's going to need to do a lot of the same things to win. First of all, he's going to need to win the battle of the jab.
And, of course, the southpaw Alexander is going to want to get his own lead right foot positioned to the outside of Khan's lead left. I think a good combination for him will be to jab as he steps to his right then follow the lead punch with a left-handed uppercut before coming back with the lead hook. I can picture him having success coming up the middle, underneath Khan's straight punches, from an angle.
Like Khan, Alexander needs to focus on keeping his chin tucked safely behind the shoulder and returning his hands to good defensive position when exchanging. These are two good boxers with similar faults.
Whoever does a better job tightening up the holes will have the best chance of winning.
Prediction
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This is a true "pick 'em" fight. I can easily imagine either man winning on Saturday night. These two are similar fighters in a lot of ways, and they are at very similar places in their careers.
The winner moves right into the thick of things in the welterweight division. The loser takes a big step back in line.
Ultimately, I am picking Amir Khan to win a very competitive fight. I think he's a little bit quicker and will do a little bit better at finding holes to land big punches. I see Khan taking this by seven rounds to five.
If he wins, we'll continue to hear about Khan as a potential opponent for Floyd Mayweather. I'd personally rather see him fight IBF champion Kell Brook in a Battle of Britain. The winner could face Mayweather in a unification fight.
But if Khan gets offered the Mayweather fight, obviously he's going to take it.
If Alexander wins, I think a rematch with Porter will be next, though he might move right into position for a shot at Brook.
The loser here is not necessarily in bad shape long-term. Both men are well short of 30. But welterweight is always extremely competitive, and the road back to the top after losing a fight like this one will be long for either fighter.
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