By Miguel Rivera
Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach respects Amir Khan's courage in accepting the opportunity to challenge WBC middleweight champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.
The HBO Pay-Per-View fight takes place on May 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Khan (31-3, 19KOs) is moving up by eight-pounds to a catch-weight of 155-pounds to face Canelo (46-1-1, 31KOs) for his title.
Roach had trained Khan for several years. The British star left his stable in 2012 and hired Virgil Hunter, who continues to train the boxer.
Khan, who never fought beyond the welterweight limit of 147, is giving up size and power but has a clear advantage in speed.
The big issue that everyone is focusing on, including Roach, is Khan's ability to take a good punch. Khan has been knocked out at lightweight and junior welterweight, and he's been down in several other contests.
Roach has some experience with Canelo as well. He worked Miguel Cotto's corner last September when the Puerto Rican boxer lost a twelve round decision to Canelo at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Roach complained afterwards about Canelo's ability to pack on 20 pounds after the weighin. The fight with Cotto also took place at 155.
"Khan deserves some credit for taking this kind of fight. Let's see how good he can be. The problem is that when Canelo connects, Khan is going to have a lot of problems," said Roach told ESPN Deportes.
"He has to make the perfect fight. If [Khan] stops to exchange he won't be able to do anything. If he picks a bad strategy then at some point [in the fight he's] going to pay. He has to make the perfect fight to even think of having a chance, but it's not going to be easy. He has to be in great physical condition because he relies on his speed."
"He needs to be disciplined, stay away from trading. His speed will be key but I don't know if it's enough for the whole fight."
