Khan: Beating Canelo Would Make Me Pound For Pound Number 1

By Edward Chaykovsky

British superstar Amir Khan (31-3, 19KOs) views his upcoming fight with WBC middleweight champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (46-1-1, 32KOs) as the perfect opportunity to overtake the throne as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.

Khan will move up by eight pounds to face Canelo at a catch-weight of 155-pounds.

Their fight is scheduled for May 7th from the brand new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. was regarded as the pound-for-pound king, but he retired last September. Overtaking his spot, according to many outlets, is WBC flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez. But many boxing fans have soured over that ranking due to Gonzalez's lackluster opposition.

Some view Sergey Kovalev, Gennady Golovkin and Andre Ward as the leading candidates for the spot.

Khan sees Canelo as being the top guy in the sport right now. He feels that an upset win over a champion two divisions north is enough to take the lucrative pound-for-pound spot.

“Mayweather has gone, ­Pacquiao has gone, so this is my opportunity to become the best fighter out there, pound-for-pound," Khan told The Mirror. "You have to give Canelo credit, he is probably No.1 at the moment. Being a boxing fan myself and by being around the boxing business, I can see he is a massive name around the world. But, by beating him, it would take me to a different level.”

Khan wants to raise his name to a level where fans will mention him decades from now as one of the best British fighters of all-time.

“Listen, I’ve got this fight, I’m telling you I’m going to win this fight. Britain has produced a lot of great champions, but I want to be up there as one of the best ever – to be called one of the greatest of all time," Khan said.