Amir Khan boxed as well as he could have, but the belief that Canelo Alvarez was simply too big and too strong for him proved true, as Alvarez landed a brutal overhand right in the sixth round to knock out Khan and retain the WBC and Ring Magazine middleweight championship.
Canelo Alvarez beats Amir Khan by knockout in round 6
Canelo Alvarez knocked out Amir Khan in the sixth round, the ending that most expected coming in.
Khan (31-4, 19 KO) showed his superior hand speed and a good tactical approach, clearly following the game plan of trainer Virgil Hunter, moving laterally and trying to keep away from the naturally bigger, stronger Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KO). But Alvarez was able to close the gap in the fourth and fifth rounds, landing some consistent body shots and cutting off the ring better as the fight went on.
With about 30 seconds left in the sixth round, Khan was caught throwing, and Alvarez landed an absolutely thunderous right hand, crumpling Khan to the canvas. He was clearly out when the punch landed, and referee Kenny Bayless gave part of a count before stopping the right.
There was not much more that anyone could have asked of Amir Khan Saturday. He simply got caught, and the ending that most pundits and experts expected is what we got. But Khan gave a great effort here, and did the best he could have. He got caught with a massive punch from a bigger puncher, and that was the end.
Alvarez landed 64 of 170 (38%) of his total punches, and 42 of 83 (51%) of his power punches, many of them to the body. Khan landed 48 of 166 (29%) of his punches overall, and 28 of 78 (36%) of his power shots.
Bernard Hopkins’ expert take on Canelo vs. Khan
See More:
