Amir Khan-Devon Alexander: Post Report Card

by Cliff Rold

In a night of competitive mismatches on Showtime, Amir Khan made the only close-on-paper fight of the night a technical mismatch in the ring.  Was it the sort of dominant win that can be misleading?

Heading into the night, the flaws in Devon Alexander’s game were known.  The biggest is his awkward combination of quick hands and inaccurate punching.  He landed his share Saturday, but not enough to generate the puncher’s chance he needed.  Bigger for him Saturday was dealing with someone faster, more accurate, and able to finish. 

Dating to a controversial win over Andriy Kotelnik in 2010, and including an even more controversial win over Lucas Matthysse, Alexander could as easily be 4-5 in his last nine as he is 6-3.  He deserves credit for a tough slate in that span.

It’s time for someone else to get his opportunities.

Khan wins his fourth straight and we’ll see what that adds up to in the year ahead.    

Let’s go the report card.

Grades

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Khan B; Alexander B/Post: B+; B-

Alexander never really went for broke in a fight where he needed to.  Part of that can be chalked up to style.  Part of it speaks to the frustration of dealing with refined speed.  He was caught over and over by finishing rights and lefts off combinations that he didn’t see because of what set them up.

Amir Khan is one of the fastest handed fighters of his generation.  He was a fantastic amateur.  For the first time since he joined up with trainer Virgil Hunter, we’re seeing those ingredients come together.  The marriage of fundamentals and physical talent is being used in a way that works better for Khan.

Let’s be clear: Khan will never have a good beard.  That can’t be trained.  Eventually, it will get caught again no matter who is in the corner.

What can be trained is limiting the chances to expose vulnerability.  Khan has always been a live wire in the ring.  He rarely looks relaxed.  Saturday, he was more relaxed than his norm and is showing progression from a struggle with Julio Diaz to his last two nights against Luis Collazo and Alexander.  To his credit, he did it this time with minimal holding. 

Khan boxed a clinic.  Something is working in prep time.

Where will it work in 2015?

Khan has made no secret.  He wants Floyd Mayweather.  He wanted him so bad he stayed on the bench in late-2013 and likely blew his chance to make a case for the fight.  A year later, he has a quality win to point to.

The last man who defeated him hasn’t lost yet and has his case too.  Jr. Welterweight Champion Danny Garcia, despite a weak 2014 campaign, still is the more deserving of the two on paper for a Mayweather fight.  Deserving and challenging are two different things.  Nothing about Garcia indicates a real problem for Mayweather.

Khan is all sorts of problems for the Welterweight kingpin.  Fighting disciplined and sticking the jab, Khan would have a serious edge in speed over a 38-year old Floyd.  The last fighter with some skills whose speed troubled Floyd for more than a moment was probably Zab Judah.  It took Floyd 4 rounds before he solved Judah.

He was a lot younger then.

Khan is better than Judah ever was.  For all his issues, Khan has never lost to someone like Carlos Baldomir. 

It’s not to say Khan would win.  It is to say fighter’s age and speed guys with skill are a bitch for older fighters who have never relied on power as an equalizer.  Floyd still hits hard enough to catch and hurt Khan.  Is he quick enough not to find himself in a scoring hole in the second half of a fight?

The fight everyone wants hasn’t changed.  Khan is a poor substitute after five years, and a renewed tease, of Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao hype. 

Anyone would be a poor substitute at this point.  This is beyond fight quality.  It’s an issue of consumer desire.

In the ring though, Khan may have the most dangerous tool set outside of Pacquiao for Mayweather.  It’s a serious fight if Mayweather-Khan happens.

Khan may find out he looked just good enough against Alexander to get Garcia the fight instead.

Report Card Picks 2014: 59-28 (including staff picks for Tarver-Banks (wrong), Bradley-Chaves (robbed), Herrera-Benavides (robbed x2), Korobov-Lee (wrong), and Lara Smith (at least there was one))

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel, the Yahoo Pound for Pound voting panel, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com