By Rick Reeno

While Freddie Roach gives Marcos Maidana absolutely no shot to defeat WBC/WBA welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (46-0, 26KOs) on September 13th, the veteran trainer does believe Amir Khan (29-3, 19KOs) - at least stylistically - is a real threat to Mayweather's undefeated record.

If Mayweather overcomes Maidana, Khan is a likely candidate for Floyd's next fight.

Roach was the head trainer of Khan for several years. They parted ways in 2012, and then Khan hired Virgil Hunter.

"[Khan] has good speed, he is a good athlete. He just stays in the pocket for too long sometimes. He wants to exchange too much. He could possibly be a threat because he's very athletic. He's very fast. I see Amir doing well with Mayweather," Roach told BoxingScene.com.

However, Roach tells BoxingScene that he is concerned with a certain change in Khan's style. 

According to Roach, Khan has developed a newfound habit of holding his opponent to avoid a counter-attack. That tactic, says Roach, will not work with Mayweather,

"You know the thing is, his new trainer taught him how to hold. That's the biggest thing changed that I see - is that he'll throw a combination and hold now. [That's] a little bit boring for the fans and if you try to hold Mayweather - you're not going to have success holding him, because once you reach for him he's going to tag you....he's way too sharp a fighter for that," Roach said.