Canelo Alvarez to fight Amir Khan on May 7 in Las Vegas
Canlo Alvarez—the WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion—will try to defend his title against Amir Khan, the former two-time world champion, on May 7 in Las Vegas.
“As the middleweight champion of the world, I will take on the best fighters in the sport and on Cinco De Mayo weekend, I look forward to making the first defense of my titles,” Alvarez said in a press release. “Amir was a decorated amateur, a two-time world champion and is in the prime of his career. Fans are in for a great fight on May 7.”
Alvarez is 46–1–1 in his career with 32 of his 46 wins coming by knockout and the lone loss on a majority decision to Floyd Mayweather in Sept. 2013. He won the WBC, RING Magazine and Lineal Middleweight Championship titles in a unanimous decision victory over Miguel Cotto in November 2015.
Khan will move up to the 160 pound weight-class to challenge Alvarez. The 2004 Olympic silver medalist won the WBC Silver Welterweight and the WBA International Welterweight Titles from Luis Collazo in May 2014 and defended them with a win over Devon Alexander in Dec. 2014. Most recently, Khan is coming off a victory over former WBO Super Lightweight World Champion Chris Algieri in May 2015.
“I know Canelo fights the best and wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to face me like others have,” Khan said in the release. “My goal is to always fight the biggest names and the best fighters that is why I’m excited for this fight. Also, I would like to thank my team and Golden Boy Promotions for this opportunity. I know I have the speed and ability to beat him and will give my fans what they deserve on May 7.”
The fight will be produced and broadcast live by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be promoted by Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.
- Christopher Chavez
