The Future for Amir Khan: Assessing His Options After the Loss to Canelo Alvarez
With one punch, Amir Khan's hopes of becoming WBC middleweight champion were emphatically ended on Saturday.
Khan came a cropper against Mexican Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in spectacular fashion at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, as a right hand levelled the Englishman in Round 6.
He was taken to the hospital after the bout, though he thankfully suffered no serious damage.
Since being knocked out, the Englishman has received plenty of praise. His calculated gamble failed to pay off, yet no one is knocking him for taking such a risk.
Promoter Oscar De La Hoya said of the beaten fighter, per Kevin Mitchell of the Guardian: "Amir Khan is one of the bravest fighters on the planet. He didn't lose anything today. He will come back. I'm telling you one thing, he can beat anyone at 147 [lbs] or 154. There is no shame in his performance."
While he needs time to allow his sore head—not to mention his bruised ego—to heal, Khan made clear, via his Twitter account, that he doesn't plan to retire just yet.
Here, Bleacher Report takes a look at some of the options open to the 29-year-old as he plots how to bounce back from the fourth defeat of his pro career.
Tempt a Famous Name out of Retirement
1 of 5
Khan made no secret of his desire to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao. He mentioned it to the media. A lot.
However, Mayweather opted instead to face Andre Berto in his final fight. Pacquiao, meanwhile, finished his career with a third bout against Timothy Bradley Jr.
The only thing is, no one quite believes the two modern-day legends will stay retired forever.
Even if he does lace up a set of gloves again, Mayweather is unlikely to agree to a meeting with Khan. At the moment, it seems UFC star Conor McGregor has more of a chance of facing Money.
Pacquiao, though, could be a possibility.
The Filipino and Khan used to share the same trainer, Freddie Roach.
Pac-Man did consider fighting his former gym-mate late last year, only to end up fighting Bradley again.
Roach revealed to George Gigney of Boxing News why the Khan bout never happened: "We had talks about him, and I know him very well. He's a good boxer. His speed would give anyone in the world trouble. He's a very good fighter, but his name got thrown out very, very quickly by HBO. HBO didn't want that fight."
Well, Khan is definitely a pay-per-view draw now.
His chin took a hit against Canelo, but his reputation did not. If anything, the defeat has only increased his fanbase in the United States.
Make a Fight with Miguel Cotto
2 of 5
Like Khan, Miguel Cotto came up short against Canelo.
Although the Puerto Rican lasted 12 rounds in November 2015, he was on the wrong end of a unanimous decision from the judges.
A planned return in June was scrapped, as Dan Rafael of ESPN.com revealed. Instead, it seems Cotto will make his comeback later in the year.
Both Khan and Cotto—a four-weight world champion—fought at 155 pounds against Canelo. Both, however, built their reputations at lower weights.
Khan mentioned Cotto's name when talking to the British media the day after his defeat to Alvarez.
He said, per PA Sport (h/t SkySports.com): "I'd like to fight in England, but I'm thinking of bringing big names [like Miguel Cotto] here. That'd be amazing, wouldn't it?"
It would be amazing, Amir, but can you really tempt Cotto, who turns 36 in October, to travel in the twilight of his career?
If he can somehow make it happen, the British boxing fans would be eternally grateful.
Return Home and Face Kell Brook
3 of 5
Khan has stated his desire to fight on British soil for the first time since April 2013.
There is one obvious candidate for his homecoming: Kell Brook.
The two Englishmen have long been linked with each other, yet the possibility of them meeting in a ring has always seemed remote.
Brook, the unbeaten IBF champion at 147 pounds, has tried hard to get Khan to face him. He has teased, taunted and tempted his rival in the media without success.
And despite the defeat to Canelo, Khan still has no interest in facing his compatriot, as he told Gareth A. Davies of the Telegraph:
"I don't think that fight will happen, I just don't like him, I don't want to fight him. I want to fight big names from the USA. I'd like to fight in England but bring a big name over.
Eddie Hearn, Brook's promoter, keeps saying he's massive, he's this, he's that ... the truth is he's not. I respect Brook that he has a title and everything, but I want to fight the biggest names. I'm into the last few years in my career now and I want to maximise the fights.
"
Money talks in boxing, and Khan could still yet change his mind if the numbers add up.
However, the rivalry has become personal. Don't hold your breath on the all-British showdown taking place at all, let alone later in 2016.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
A Rematch with Danny Garcia
4 of 5
Stepping up to middleweight (or 155 pounds, as the fight was made at a catchweight) did not cost Khan his place as mandatory challenger to the WBC welterweight title.
American Danny Garcia currently holds that belt—and he has history with Khan, too.
The duo met in a unification fight at super lightweight back in 2012. Garcia—the undefeated underdog—sprung a surprise to walk away with the WBA and WBC titles.
Khan started brightly in that bout, just as he did against Canelo on Saturday. But as was the case against Alvarez, he was caught by a big shot that changed the complexion of the contest.
While he wasn't knocked out by the blow in Round 3, the Olympic silver medallist suffered a TKO loss in Round 4.
Khan told Jeff Powell of the Daily Mail he now wants his shot at redemption: "I'm Garcia's mandatory challenger for the WBC welterweight and we're both advised by Al Haymon, so it should be easy to make that fight. Although I don't think he'll come to England as I would like."
As mentioned in the quote, both boxers work with Premier Boxing Champions' Al Haymon.
Negotiations shouldn't be a stumbling block to the rematch happening later in the year, although Khan may have to head back to the U.S. to make it happen.
The Other Options
5 of 5
There are two other names worth mentioning as a potential opponent for Khan.
Adrien "The Problem" Broner has had his issues outside of the ring, but he is still a big draw in it.
His last outing, against British boxer Ashley Theophane, was the most viewed PBC fight broadcast by Spike, according to Mitch Abramson of The Ring magazine.
Broner failed to make weight to defend his WBA super lightweight title against Theophane, so a move back up to 147 pounds makes sense.
Timothy Bradley Jr. is already around at welterweight. Desert Storm may have lost to Manny Pacquiao in his last outing, but he still has an impressive CV.
However, his connection with promoters Top Rank will make negotiations with Khan a little tricky.
Who would you suggest Khan faces next? Perhaps you think he should just retire. Whatever your views, share them via the comments section.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
