British boxer Amir Khan after suffering a knockout in the fight for the middleweight title, World Boxing Council (WBC) version, against Mexican Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, was admitted to a hospital in Las Vegas as a precautionary measure.
Khan, who had dominated the fight with his mobility, at the end in the sixth round could not avoid a devastating right hand that connected the Mexican champion to the jaw and he was lying on the canvas for several minutes without reacting.
His condition even worried Álvarez, who went to check on him, while the 16,250 fans who witnessed the fight at the new T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, were also tense until they saw how the former British champion reacted.
“Amir Khan had to go straight to the hospital to be examined by the doctors,” declared the promoter of the fight, Oscar de la Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions. “They took him away as a preventive measure and to verify that he had not suffered any type of major damage and that is what they have informed us, that he is fine.”
Despite his efforts, Khan was down on two of the judges’ three scorecards, 48-47 and 49-46. He only led by one, 48-47, but the fight was turning in his favor before the fatigue of Álvarez, who could not keep up with the mobility of his rival.
“I could not get to the end,” said Khan after recovering and was interviewed by the pay television network HBO. «I want to be the best and want to fight against the best. That’s why I accepted this fight.
Khan’s defeat was anticipated by the vast majority of boxing connoisseurs, who from the beginning did not see any sporting sense in it given the great difference in size and weight between the two, although for this fight both gave 155 pounds on the scale.
However, Alvarez never lost punch, while Khan did not improve his, which was what the loss cost him in the end.
Try to move with speed; throwing his direct bursts and combinations, trying to exasperate Álvarez, who never felt comfortable while the fight lasted.
However, it was also anticipated that “Canelo” sooner rather than later would try to connect up and down with power, when he neglected his defense, stopped or simply slowed down, which in the end that was what happened.
Khan received some warnings to the face from the third round, and although he delivered blows that are perhaps less noticeable, but ultimately do damage, they did not stop Alvarez’s attack.
“Amir set the tone,” said Virgil Hunter, Khan’s coach. “Amir was on ‘Canelo’ every round. It was just a blow … ».
In reality it was not only the knockout blow in terms of statistics, but the one that was decisive and deserving of revalidating a world title.
According to Compubox statistics, Khan only hit his rival with 28.9 percent of the 166 punches he threw; of which 22.7 percent were direct and only hit 35.9 percent of power shots.
While Álvarez placed 37.6 percent of the 170 shots he threw, including 25.2 from direct shots, and 50.6 from power shots.
The loss left Khan at 31-4, waiting to try to return in a stellar lineup against an elite rival, something that may already be difficult for him.
But above all, to recover from the blow that destroyed him and confirmed the poor fit that his jaw has, which is already known in the boxing world as “crystal.”
Khan, who wanted to be the third fighter who after having achieved the title of welterweight champion achieved the middleweight, recognized that he was not the ideal weight he reached with the fight against Álvarez and his goal will be to return to the original.
“I’m a natural 147 pound and this challenge came and was tough,” admitted Khan, who for accepting the uneven fight won a guaranteed purse of two million dollars, but with the earnings from the cable television rights they could amount to as much as $ 2 million. 13. “My natural weight is 147 and I will probably go back to it.”
Khan was admitted to a Las Vegas hospital as a precaution
