AMIR KHAN?S TRAINER SAYS HIS FIGHTER LACKS A ?KILLER INSTINCT?
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 07 May 2016
Khan and Hunter.
On the eve of his fight against the bigger, stronger WBC middleweight champion Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez, Amir Khan's trainer Virgil Hunter admits his fighter lacks a "killer instinct."
The two clash in the inauguration of the spanking, new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas which can accommodate around 22,000 fight fans.
TV 5, the Rio 2016 Olympic network will carry the fight on a delayed basis at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday while ABS-CBN Sky Sports will telecast the fight on pay-per-view starting an 9:00 a.m. for a fee of P199.
The 29 year old Athens Olympic Games silver medalist is moving up two weight divisions to challenge the popular Mexican champion at an agreed catch-weight of 155 pounds although Alvarez is expected to rehydrate to around 175 pounds at fight time which would give him a massive advantage.
Hunter told BBC Sport ?killer instinct has to be in you, you can?t call it up? noting that ?you see some kids in the gym and they want to hurt somebody. That?s killer instinct.
He noted "If they get beaten up they're back the next day, with a vengeance. That's a trait."
The American was appointed as Khan?s trainer following Khan?s 4th round TKO loss to Danny Garcia in 2012.
Although Hunter conceded that ?Canelo? Alvarez ?could win the fight convincingly? he added that personally he doesn?t think ?Canelo? is very good.
Since his stoppage loss to Garcia, Khan has won all his five fights since them but is a heavy underdog against Alvarez whose only loss in 48 fights ads a pro was against unbeaten pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather in 2013.
Mayweather retired after beating Andre Berto handily in his last fight.
Khan earlier conceded he didn?t have the power to hurt Alvarez and would have to rely on his hand-speed to hopefully score a twelve round decision which, even then, would be considered a stunning upset.
However, trainer Hunter claims Khan?s body punching was as good as anyone?s pointing out that "His left hook to the liver matches anything,. The punch he put Marcos Maidana down with was as good as anything I've seen. He can really hit to the body. But I don't advise him to trade punches with Alvarez, because he's giving up too much size."
The BBC reported that American boxing great Bernard Hopkins has compared Khan to Welshman Joe Calzaghe, who beat Hopkins in Vegas in 2008. He said "Canelo is definitely the most powerful of the two, But Khan's volume of punches reminds me of Joe Calzaghe. He's a guy who swarms you with punches so that by the time you get your bearings, the fight's over.?
Hopkins added "You're not going to die, you didn't get hurt, but you've got so many bee stings you don't know where to scratch. You just know you've got to get the hell out of there.?
However, Hopkins predicts ?Canelo? will win by a knockout in the 9th or 10th round.?
"But Canelo wins on Saturday by knockout, in the ninth or 10th round."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Weigh-In Results: Fundora and Conwell Ready for Golden Boy Fight Night in Oceanside
Sat, 19 Apr 2025Undefeated, rising Canadian prospect Eric Basran wins in Opening round to advance to quarterfinals of inaugural Riyadh Season/WBC Boxing Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia
Sat, 19 Apr 2025WEIGHTS FROM LONG BEACH
Sat, 19 Apr 2025Weights From Washington, PA
Sat, 19 Apr 2025Jerald Into Advances in WBC Boxing Grand Prix with Dominant Win Over Ahmad Jones
Sat, 19 Apr 2025Press Conference Notes: Keyshawn Davis Set for Homecoming Title Defense against Edwin De Los Santos at Norfolk's Scope Arena
Sat, 19 Apr 2025JAKE PAUL vs JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR / ZURDO RAMIREZ vs YUNIEL DORTICOS JUNE 28 in ANAHEIM
Sat, 19 Apr 2025June 8: Junto Nakatani-Ryosuke Nishida Bantamweight Unification Showdown Headlines Tokyo Super Card Streaming LIVE on ESPN+
Sat, 19 Apr 2025Thursday’s Action at the 2025 USA Boxing International Open Concludes
Sat, 19 Apr 2025H2O Sylve Returns to the Ring April 26th At Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta Amado Vargas Is Co-Main Live On BLK PRIME
Sat, 19 Apr 2025FM Arca bounces back, defeats IM Laohawirapap of Thailand in 6th round
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 19 Apr 2025SMITH VS. GERMAIN WEIGHTS AND RUNNING ORDER
Fri, 18 Apr 2025WBO #2 WBA #2 Mikiah Kreps on Weight in Seneca Niagara
Fri, 18 Apr 2025UFC® RETURNS TO PRUDENTIAL CENTER IN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY WITH BLOCKBUSER CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLEHEADER
Fri, 18 Apr 2025AMATEUR HEAVYWEIGHT SENSATION LEO ATANG SIGNS PROMOTIONAL DEAL WITH MATCHROOM BOXING
Fri, 18 Apr 2025