By Radio Rahim
Former eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao is also on board with fighters like Andre Ward and David Haye, who both believe that Amir Khan (31-3, 19KOs) has a shot at pulling off the upset on May 7th, when he faces WBC middleweight champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (46-1-1, 32KOs).
Canelo-Khan will headline an HBO Pay-Per-View event from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pacquiao and Khan were at one time stablemates when they were both trained by Hall of Fame coach Freddie Roach. Khan left Roach in 2012 and hired Virgil Hunter.
Earlier this year, there were ongoing negotiations for a Pacquiao vs. Khan showdown. Pacquiao took a pass on the British star and selected Timothy Bradley as the opponent for his April 9th return.
Khan stunned the boxing world when he announced he was moving up to a catch-weight of 155-pounds to challenge Canelo.
Because Khan has been stopped and dropped in lower weight divisions like lightweight and junior welterweight, there are serious questions about his ability to take a solid punch from Canelo, who is regarded as a big hitter. Khan, who fights at welterweight, is moving up by eight pounds to challenge Canelo for his belt.
While Khan has been branded as a massive underdog, Pacquiao disagrees with that label. He does question Khan's ability to withstand Canelo's power, but he doesn't rule out the possibility of his former sparring partner pulling off a huge upset.
"I think [the outcome] depends how Amir Khan prepares for this fight and how Amir Khan handles the power of Canelo. We know Canelo is a strong puncher...it depends on how [Khan] handles [the power] and how he prepares for this fight. He's not a huge underdog, both of them have a chance [to win]," Pacquiao told BoxingScene.com.
