Canelo knocks out Khan in six
WBC middleweight champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) defeated former light welterweight world champion Amir Khan (31-4, 19 KOs) by a spectacular 6th round KO on Saturday night at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Canelo, who dethroned Miguel Cotto by unanimous decision last November, knocked Khan out cold with a huge right hand to retain the title in brutal fashion.
Khan started well, landing fast combinations before getting out of range while Canelo pressed forward and threw single shots. The Mexican could hardly land anything in the first three rounds and even when he did, Khan countered each time.
But in the 4th, Canelo seemed to close the distance and began to connect with some solid punches to the head and body.
Canelo continued to land hard shots and cut khan above his right eye in the fifth.
Khan took the blows well and fired back until the devastating finishing blow came in the 6th.
The Briton fell short with a jab as Canelo threw and landed a overhand right to Khan's chin that sent him down heavily to the canvas. Referee Kenny Bayless did not need to count and waved the fight off at 2:37 of the round.
"He was a little difficult at first. I knew I had to keep to my game-plan," said Canelo. "I never train for a knockout, but if it happens it happens."
Next, Canelo looks set to fight WBA/IBF middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, who was sitting ringside, in a unification showdown in September.
Because Golovkin also holds the WBC interim belt, he is Canelo's mandatory challenger.
"We’re not going to fight because it’s the WBC mandatory, we’re going to fight for the pride," said Canelo. "I’m happy to fight him and I’m happy to beat him."
Canelo's promoter Oscar De La Hoya said: "We will have a conversation (with Golovkin) tomorrow.
"That’s the fight to make. I really hope we can come to an agreement."
Khan said he will return to the welterweight division, where he is the mandatory challenger to WBC holder Danny Garcia, who stopped him in the 4th round in 2012 in a light welterweight world title fight.
"I tried as much as I could and trained very hard for this fight," said Khan. "Unfortunately, I didn’t get the result I wanted. Although I feel strong at this weight, I am naturally a lighter fighter and plan to go back down to welterweight. But I like to challenge myself and that is why I took this fight. I want to be the best, and to be the best, I have to fight the best."