The Big Lead

Canelo Alvarez Will Fight Amir Khan on May 7

By Ryan Phillips

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Canelo Alvarez finally has his next opponent and it will be a familiar name. While not the blockbuster that a bout with Gennady Golovkin would have been, Alvarez will still face a known commodity in Britain’s Amir Khan. The two will face-off on May 7 in Las Vegas.

Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) made the announcement on Twitter Tuesday, and appears to finally be getting the high-profile fight he has sought unsuccessfully for the past few years. He famously needled both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather but couldn’t get a fight with either.

Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Miguel Cotto in November which won him The Ring, Lineal and WBC Middleweight titles. The 25-year-old isn’t really a middleweight though, which is why his fight with Khan will take place at 155 pounds.

Khan’s last stepped in the ring during a May 29, 2015 bout in which he out-pointed Chris Algieri at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Khan’s run of success over the last few years (5-0 since December 2012) has been less-than-impressive, since he hasn’t really gotten to face decent competition. He won a unanimous decision over Devon Alexander in December of 2014, but that’s really all he can hang his hat on.

For a guy who was such a hyped prospect, the 29-year-old’s career has largely fizzled. That said, he has an enormous following on the other side of the Atlantic and should bring a big audience to the fight.

Canelo is on the opposite end of the hype spectrum. The 25-year-old’s stock couldn’t be much higher. His only defeat was a wide decision loss to Floyd Mayweather in September of 2013, but since then he has improved tremendously. A split decision win over Erislandy Lara in July of 2014 was the only bout he didn’t completely dominate.

It’s no surprise that the early odds favor Alvarez and it’s really hard to see a path to victory for Khan in this one.

Canelo is the younger, hungrier fighter and he has a better track record. Unless something crazy happens, he should win easily.