By Edward Chaykovsky 

Virgil Hunter, head trainer of Amir Khan (31-4, 19 KOs), said that he tried to persuade the British fighter to reject a lucrative offer that would see him practically move up by two weight divisions to challenge Saul "Canelo" Alvarez for the WBC middleweight championship.

The fight took place last May and became the first boxing headliner at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The contest took place at a catch-weight of 155-pounds, and Canelo is well known for rehydrating to a much bigger boxer on fight night.

Khan did very well in early rounds as he used his speed to give Canelo a lot of trouble. But once Canelo landed a monster shot in the sixth to Khan's chin, the fight was quickly over as the Bolton fighter was knocked unconscious.

Hunter was not in favor of the fight, but he was unable to change Khan's mind on the matter.

“I let him know that was stupid, crazy. For what? The Canelo fight was a fight I was totally against. But once I saw it wasn’t going to change, I told him: ‘I can get you through this fight, but we don’t have any margin for error. You have to focus every second of every round. If you lose focus it could be disastrous for you,’ ” Hunter told The Telegraph.

“If you look at that fight, Amir could have beaten any welterweight that night. Because Amir had no room for error. Even when he got caught, we’d worked on that. The whole plan was keep Canelo down to one punch at a time. We did that. Don’t go to the ropes. He did that. Keep him in the middle of the ring and pick him.

“If he starts getting tired, you start bringing combinations in. He did that. When he dips down he telegraphs what he’s going to do to the body. Take a half step back. He did that. That punch would’ve knocked most people out.”

Khan had surgery on his right hand last year and hasn't fought since the loss to Canelo. Hunter believes the boxer has at least three years left due to his speed. The next fight is likely going to take place in April or early May.

“[Khan' could have been the best welterweight ever. Because of the things he can do. He still has an upside – with his hand speed. His speed should last him at least another three years. If he learns this, even if he loses one tenth of a second, it would be hard to pick up if you’re out of position. If I’m a half foot closer I can lose that tenth of a second if I know what to do," Hunter said.

“I’m looking for Amir to maybe go on Andre Berto’s card April 22. Or the 29th. Then he’s got to get back to Ramadan. I think he’s doing it smart, plotting out a course. He just needs to get through the next opponent and he needs to get through another one and at the end of the year just go for it – whoever’s there. He’s been here for almost two months now so he’s in good condition.”