Canelo vs. Khan full fight video highlights

It’s no surprise that Canelo Alvarez knocked out Amir Khan to retain his WBC and Ring Magazine middleweight titles on Saturday night, but the knockout itself was a real stunner, a KO of the Year contender in a year that has already had quite a few.

Khan (31-4, 19 KO) boxed very well, all things considered, but there was a tenseness to the fight that came from the belief that any single shot could very well end it. Khan had never fought over 147 pounds before -- this fight was at a 155-pound catchweight -- and has long been considered to have weak punch resistance for a top fighter.

But his vaunted hand speed was a major factor early, as he was able to smack Canelo with repeated shots in combination, as well as keep out of range of Canelo’s power shots. But Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KO) started cutting off the ring better in the fourth round, and taking Khan’s legs away slowly but surely with body shots.

In the sixth, with Khan getting a bit careless, Canelo had an opening for an absolute bomb of a right hand, and he made it count. The fight was over as soon as the shot landed, Khan knocked out. This wasn’t even a case of Khan having a “weak chin,” it was a shot that would have put anyone out.