On December 13th, 2014, Amir Khan gave perhaps one of his best performances to date against former IBF Welterweight Champion, Devon Alexander. The decision was Unanimous at the MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas, tallied from scores of 119-109, 118-110, 120-108.
Headliner Khan brought the same strengths to the ring as he did in Khan vs Collazo, May 2014, using his newfound discipline and short-burst combinations, with some excellent footwork to boot. Combined with his blistering hand speed, Khan looked like one complete, comfortable fighter in the ring.
As for Alexander, he never seemed to settle into a game plan of his own, which appeared to be playing the counter-puncher. The Missouri-born fighter quite simply fell flat against his opponent; Khan, an elite boxer in his own right, was just too darn fast.
In December 2011, Khan’s conqueror Lamont Peterson stated how he’d had to switch from boxer to brawler in order to win. The decision slowed Khan’s rhythm and created many more opportunities for Peterson. The problem was that Alexander could not adapt – and it cost him dearly.
In the moments where Alexander decided to come forward and chase his man down, Khan used his footwork effectively to steer clear of danger. Alexander did get off some of his own shots, but they were few and far between; he instead spent much of the fight trying very hard to avoid Khan’s assaults.
In short, Alexander was overwhelmed, outgunned, and simply ran out of ideas. (see Khan vs Alexander Boxing Highlights)
Following the win, Khan takes his record to 30 wins, 19 knockouts, 3 losses – and possibly steers into Floyd Mayweather’s headlights – while Alexander’s falls to 26 wins, 14 knockouts, 3 losses.
On the evening’s big name undercard, Keith Thurman outshined tough veteran Leonard Bundu. ‘One Time’ dropped Bundu in the opening round, but kept the action strictly chess for the remaining stretch. The crowd booed the contest, obviously hoping to witness Thurman’s usual knockout prowess.
A wins a win, however, and it was a shutout at that. The Unanimous Decision was reached following matching scores of 107-120. Thurman plumps his unbeaten record to 24 wins, 21 knockouts, while Bundu’s picks up a blemish, falling to 31 wins, 11 knockouts, 1 loss, 2 draws.
Abner Mares and Victor Ortiz also enjoyed wins prior. Mares (now 28-1-1, 15 KO) dropped Joses Ramirez in the 1st, 3rd and 5th rounds, and came out victorious following a 5th round retirement. Ortiz (now 30-5-2, 23 KO) finally got back to his winning ways after a more than game Manuel Perez succumbed to his power and fluid combinations. The fight was halted in round 3 at the 0:51 mark.
What did you think of Khan vs Alexander? Is Khan ready for Floyd Mayweather? – or should he have to face a tougher test than Alexander before he’s handed the keys? And what of Alexander’s performance? – was he flat, or did Khan’s quality simply take the fight away from him?
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