Canelo vs. Khan: Fight Odds, TV Coverage, Prize Money and Predictions
Amir Khan will look to stage a surprise for the ages this Saturday and travels to Las Vegas' new T-Mobile Arena hoping to strip Saul "Canelo" Alvarez of his WBC middleweight title.
The odds are stacked against the Briton, who will face Canelo at a catchweight of 155 pounds and is currently an outside bet to hand his Mexican opponent just the second defeat of his career.
Chris McKenna of the Daily Star noted Khan is set to rake in a reported $13.1 million (£9 million) for the fight, largely due to the fact he's moving up two weight divisions to make the bout happen (h/t Boxing Scene).
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Canelo brings an incredible record of 46-1-1 into the Las Vegas duel, and we provide latest odds and predictions for Saturday's showdown, courtesy of Odds Shark.
| Alvarez Win | -550 |
| Khan Win | +375 |
Date: Saturday, May 7
Time: Approx. 12 a.m. ET/5 a.m. BST (Sunday, May 8)
Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
Khan to Stage Surprise in Early Rounds
The overriding sense in the build-up to Saturday's fight has been that while Canelo has a quite clear advantage in power and comfort near this weight, Khan's edge may be in his speed and footwork.
Not only that, but boxing legend Bernard Hopkins also had major praise for "King" just for having the audacity to make the step up and face Canelo, per BoxNation:
Emotions will be riding high for Khan in particular, and although it may have little impact in the bout's later stages, he may race ahead in the early rounds if his speed can see him evade Canelo's heavy hitting.
Khan's ex-trainer, Freddie Roach, spoke of the difference in weight as being a major factor, but he did hold out some hope for his "very athletic" former disciple, per Boxing Scene's Steve Kim:
"He's a very, very athletic person but I think he might be a little too small. It'll be difficult for 36 minutes because Khan still has the tendency to stay in the pocket too long.
He stopped a lot of fighters in the amateurs and so that's why I think he stays in the pocket so long, at times. When I was working with him we worked on getting out of the pocket quicker, throwing combinations and getting out. He does have foot speed and he is a good athlete but to do it for 36 minutes? It will be very, very difficult because this guy is strong.
He's got to pitch a perfect game.
"
A perfect game may be too tall an order for Bolton-born Khan, but getting the higher volume of shots in early on certainly isn't beyond him, even if he does eventually tire from all that graft with little result.
Punching Power Seals Canelo Stoppage
Back in March, we saw Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor make an unsuccessful move up to welterweight, where he found his shots simply didn't have as great an effect on opponent Nate Diaz.
Although the margins are smaller between Khan and Canelo, the impact could be similar, although the latter certainly isn't discounting his foe's potential upper hand in the speed stakes:
It's been an eventful two-and-a-half years since Alvarez was beaten by Floyd Mayweather Jr. via majority decision in 2013, since which he's embarked upon a four-win streak and most recently defeated Miguel Cotto.
Two of those four victories have come via stoppage, and the 25-year-old—who seems oddly mature for such a young age—told Complex he's trained for this fight as he would any other:
That spells bad news for Khan, and as stamina wears thin and fatigue sets in, the Briton will find Canelo's punches harder to escape, and it seems probable he could take a knock from which he'll struggle to return.
Khan's last official stoppage came against Zab Judah as far back as July 2011, meaning he'll likely have to go the distance if he's to win, and it just seems too great a task against a thunderous puncher like Canelo.
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