George Foreman Warns: If Canelo Overconfident, Khan Can Win

By Edward Chaykovsky

Heavyweight legend and former two-time world champion George Foreman has warned that Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (46-1-1, 32KOs) needs to stay focused and not get overconfident in the upcoming fight with Amir Khan (31-3, 19KOs).

Foreman explained that he himself got overconfident in 1974, when he was a big favorite to fight Muhammad Ali in the "Rumble in the Jungle." Foreman believed he would get an early knockout of Ali, but instead he ran out of gas and was knocked out in the eight round.

Canelo is a big favorite to retain against Khan this coming Saturday night, when they battle at a catch-weight of 155-pounds for the WBC middleweight title at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Khan has never fought above the welterweight limit of 147-pounds and he's suffered knockout defeats at 135 and 140. There are questions about the British fighter's chin, and Canelo is a big puncher, and all of those factors have made the Mexican superstar a big favorite to win.

“The thing about power is you can become overconfident when you start seeing people drop,” Foreman said to the Los Angeles Times. “With Ali, I lost my fear. You come out not worrying about protecting yourself. You come out of that dressing room thinking, ‘I'll knock this guy out...if not in the first, then the fifth. But with just 12 rounds now, it's over quick, so Khan can pull it off with his speed.”

“Khan is so fast and he has a knack for landing body punches, which could assure him he'll get a 12-round decision. He's a good body puncher, it's just part of his repertoire. The one who lands the most will pull it out. Canelo has been in there with the most elusive of all fighters, Floyd Mayweather, so he's not going to see anything he hasn't seen before. But if he comes in overconfident, Khan, with that speed, will overtake that power and there'll be a new outlook in boxing.”