The Amir Khan (29-3, 19 KOs) and Devon Alexander (26-2, 14 KOs) matchup may be one of the most significant fights of the year. If Khan wins he will be the frontrunner to a possible PPV showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. If Alexander wins, he may not get a Mayweather fight, but will have a chance of rejuvenating his career by lining himself up against other big names in the stacked welterweight division. Both fighters have a lot on the line, and a loss will be a huge setback for either fighter’s career. This bout promises to be competitive, and may the most entertaining fight of the night.
Here is the Breakdown of the Fight
Size
Khan/Alexander
Amir Khan standing at 5’8½ with a 71 inch reach, is nearly identical in stature to Devon Alexander, who stands at 5’8 ½ with a 70 inch reach.
Offense
Khan
Khan is a very dynamic offensive fighter who wins rounds by sheer activity. Khan’s combinations can range from two to six consecutive punches. He can catch an opponent by surprise with unconventional techniques such as throwing multiple right hands, and it’s very difficult to defend against Khan because his punches come from unorthodox angles. Khan is also a very good counterpuncher. If an opponent throws a careless punch Khan will answer back with a short two punch combination. Khan is also a very underrated body puncher.
Khan is at his best when circling around the ring fighting off his back foot. The reason being is due to the fact Khan is not forced to lunge in, but waits for his opponent to come to him.
Whenever Khan is forced to be the aggressor in a fight he is more susceptible to be countered because he tends to lunge in more often.
Alexander
Alexander is a sharp offensive fighter. He knows how to mix in his combinations to the body and the head. He is also a good counterpuncher who fights off his back foot, which will allow him to have success whenever Khan lunges in as the aggressor.
Alexander is also a fighter who will answer back with his own combinations whenever his opponent tries to take over the fight. Alexander is not a fighter who will shy away from exchanges whenever he feels it’s necessary to do so.
Speed
Khan
Khan arguably has the fastest hands in the sport of boxing. His speed allows him to overwhelm opponents, get away with unconventional methods of punching, and makes it nearly impossible to win rounds against.
Alexander
Alexander has great speed of his own. He may not be as fast as Khan, but his speed will allow him to set up countering opportunities, and help break threw Khan’s defense in certain times of the fight.
Power
Khan
Khan is not known as a big power puncher but definitely possesses enough to stun Alexander. He will probably not be able to score a knockdown or a knockout given the fact Alexander is an extremely durable fighter.
Alexander
Alexander is also not known as a big power puncher, but is still capable of dropping Khan at any stage of the fight, given the fact Khan has always been known to have a suspect chin.
Chin
Khan
Khan’s chin has been his Achilles heel his entire career. It doesn’t necessarily take a monumental power puncher to knock him down. Any fighter with decent power has the ability to score a knockdown against Khan.
Alexander
Alexander has a very solid chin. He has faced many power punchers in his career and has never been knocked out.
Defense
Khan
Khan’s defensive skills have vastly improved ever since teaming up with Virgil Hunter. Khan is showing more signs of defensive awareness by constantly using lateral movement, moving out of range after he is done throwing a combination, and not getting into unnecessary exchanges as much as he did in the past. Khan also does a good job of smothering and clinching after throwing a combination or whenever he finds himself on wobbly legs.
Despite the defensive improvements, Khan still shows defensive lapses whenever he lunges in as the aggressor, or remains stationary in front of his opponents with a high guard for brief periods of times in the later rounds. Khan is also susceptible to feints.
Alexander
Alexander is a very sharp defensive fighter. He knows how to use subtle footwork to avoid punches. He has great head movement, and knows when to clinch. Despite being a great defensive fighter, Khan’s offense is too much to be neutralized by just about any fighter, and he will land his fair number of punches, but Alexander’s defense will limit Khan’s offensive output to a certain extent.
Conclusion
Amir Khan should win by unanimous decision. His dynamic offensive ability should enable him to overwhelm Alexander is spurts, and win the majority of the rounds. The only issue is Alexander is a great counterpuncher who fights off his back foot, and who is not afraid to get into exchanges. Since Khan tends to lunge in, and is extremely vulnerable in exchanges due to his suspect chin, it makes for a very intriguing matchup. It will not come as a surprise if Alexander can knockdown Khan at any point in the fight, but he may not have enough power to score a knockout.
This is a 55/45 fight in favor of Khan but it would not be a shock if Alexander manages to pull off the victory. It may come down to who wants it more.
