Amir Khan is considered heavy underdog in his upcoming showdown with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in May, but the British boxing superstar believes he has the tools to score an upset.
Golden Boy Promotions were criticized for picking Khan as Canelo's opponent in his next fight. Most fans and analysts believe it will be a mismatch because of the weight disparity since Canelo has been campaigning at 155 for the majority of his career, while Khan has not fought above 147 pounds.
Khan, who owns a 31-3 record with 19 knockout victories in his career, knows that most people are already counting him out, but the former world champion is confident of his chances. The Briton believes his speed and determination to win will be a huge factor on fight night.
"People keep asking me why I want to fight this big fighter. I really believe I can win in this fight," Khan said via ESPN. "What will win this fight is speed, determination and skill. My dream has always been to fight the best and test myself, and in Canelo I'm facing just that."
Khan has only fought at 147 pounds four times in his career. The Bolton, England native also decided against requiring a rehydration clause, which gives Alvarez a chance to bulk up on fight night to gain more advantage in terms of size.
Khan is also not concerned of Canelo's punching power. Based on Canelo's fight against Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto, Khan is unsure if Alvarez's punches can hurt him in their upcoming fight.
"Is he really this dangerous, big puncher that everyone makes him out as?" Khan said via BoxingScene. "He hit Mayweather. Miguel Cotto, he hit him with clean shots. So I'm thinking, is he really this dangerous, devastating puncher that I should be scared of? Time will tell."
Khan also has to shake off the rust, as he has not fought since his unanimous decision win against former World Boxing Organization light welterweight champion Chris Algieri in May last year. He lobbied for fights against superstars Manny Pacquiao and Mayweather but failed to get a shot.
On the other hand, Alvarez, who has a 46-1-1 record with 32 knockout victories, is coming off an impressive unanimous decision victory against Cotto in November in Las Vegas, where he captured the World Boxing Council middleweight title.
