By Edward Chaykovsky
Retired former super middleweight champion Carl Froch was just as shocked as everyone else, when it was announced that Amir Khan would moved up by eight pounds to challenge WBC middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez at a catch-weight of 155-pounds.
The fight is scheduled to take place on May 7th, as the first boxing event to land at the brand new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Not many insiders are giving Khan much of a chance to win. Some point to the different in weight. Other point to Khan's knockout defeat in the lower weight divisions like lightweight and junior middleweight. Khan has been down and hurt in several other fights. There is also the issue of inactivity, with Khan's last fight taking place in May 2015 with a tougher than expected decision win over Chris Algieri.
Froch has not always had the most friendliest of relationships with Khan. There were long stretches where Froch took occasional shots at Khan in the press. Khan would usually reply in kind. Most found the war of words quite odd, since the two fighters were separated by four weight classes at the time and had absolutely no chance of ever meeting.
He respects the courage of Khan to take such a fight.
"You've got to give Amir Khan credit for taking such a dangerous, dangerous fight. I was as surprised as everyone when on Tuesday night I found out that he'd be taking on Saul Alvarez but the more I think about it, he can definitely pull off an even bigger shock and win," Froch said to Sky Sports.
"To take Canelo on - up at least 10lbs in weight - deserves the utmost respect and for the fans it will be a great fight. For Khan, it will be a huge risk but I honestly think he can win this. If Khan uses his speed and his range and stays on his toes for the full 12 rounds, he has a real chance. He has great boxing ability - we know that. If he does get caught on the way in, you've got to say he's in trouble. He is moving up another weight division and Canelo is a big puncher as well, so it is massively dangerous. But Amir has got some courage, that's for sure."
Froch touched on some of his past criticisms of Khan's chin, which others are pointing to as a big factor in the fight. He feels Khan's chin is a bit better than some give him credit for.
"In the past I had been very critical of Khan not having a chin but I remember that fight he had with Marcos Maidana a few years ago and he took some proper heavy shots in that one and came through it. I might be one of the few that is giving Khan a chance but you have got to respect him. He didn't have to take it, did he? One thing you can't argue is that taking on Canelo is a massive, brave gamble. But there is also a chance that Khan could surprise us all again and actually win," Froch said.
