by Cliff Rold

If the choice for Floyd Mayweather’s next opponent comes down to Manny Pacquiao or Amir Khan, actual negotiations really might take place for the superfight everyone wants.  Khan isn’t the financial reward Pacquiao is.

Khan showed signs on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, that he could represent real risk. 

The 28-year old 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist and former unified 140 lb. titlist was nearly flawless in posting his fourth straight win since consecutive losses to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia.  Khan (30-3, 19 KO), 147, of Bolton, Lancashire, United Kingdom, allowed 27-year old former Jr. Welterweight and Welterweight titlist Devon Alexander (26-3, 14 KO), 147, of St. Louis, Missouri, only the rarest of moments over twelve one-sided Welterweight rounds.  It might have been his most complete performance.

The referee was Robert Byrd.    

Khan’s superior speed gave him the edge for most of the first but his shaky chin made an early appearance.  Alexander buzzed him in the late going, Khan grinning.  Khan attempted to tie up, somewhat successfully, but Alexander pressed the moment.  Alexander couldn’t find anything similar in the next two rounds.  Khan’s superior range and speed controlled the action, Alexander eating steady hard lefts and rights at the end of combination flurries.

A right hand at the close of round four punctuated a one-sided frame and there were two more rounds of frustration for Alexander right behind it.  Alexander couldn’t land enough to slow down the faster, more schooled professional in front of him.

Alexander found a brief burst of offense in round eight.  Khan kept his composure and went back to the groove he’d been in for most of the night.  Khan punished Alexander badly in round ten, countering and catching him clean repeatedly.  With two rounds to go, Alexander appeared in need of a miracle.

There were no miracles in order in the ring.  The southpaw Alexander found a few token right leads in the final round but it wasn’t nearly enough.  Khan finished crisp, still jabbing, still too fast, for one of his best overall career performances. 

The scores came in academic at 119-109, 118-110, and 120-108 for Khan.  The shutout was perfectly fair.  Interviewed in the ring after the fight, Khan was realistic about what he needed heading into the night.  “I know I had to make a statement at 147,” he said, remembering how the Mayweather fight he thought he might get last year slipped away. 

Khan had no shortage of confidence.  “I’m the best boxer and the quickest hands in the world,” he stated, later adding, “I have the best jab in the business I believe.”  Talk turned to Mayweather and Khan made clear he has every faith in himself.  “I’ve earned my shot against the best fighter in the world.  We’re going to take the belt off of him.”

There are other names that could emerge in the Mayweather sweepstakes.  Garcia, since defeating Khan, remains undefeated and could state a case.  The public demand will remain strongly with Pacquiao.

The Khan we saw Saturday night could be the biggest technical nightmare of the bunch.  

26-year old interim WBA Welterweight titlist Keith Thurman (24-0, 21 KO), 146, of Clearwater, Florida, won a lopsided shutout over 40-year old Leonard Bundu (31-1-2, 11 KO), 146 ½, of Cisterna, Lazio, Italy, but may have taken a step back in doing so.  Kept inactive with an eight-month layoff, Thurman was looking for a statement to build his dark horse chances of a crack at division ruler Floyd Mayweather.  This wasn’t the sort of night that could build demand for that.

The referee was Vic Drakulich.

Thurman got off to a big start, scoring a knockdown with a counter left hook early in the first round.  It would be the highlight of the first half of an awkward affair.  Thurman won every round, blasting Bundu with single rights and lefts in spots.  It wasn’t the sort of excitement Thurman is used to generating.  The switch-hitting challenger’s big, wild swings kept Thurman in a steady rather than sensational rhythm.

It didn’t get any more interesting in the second half of the fight.  The boo birds made frequent appearances as Thurman did what he had to in winning every round but never finding the spots he needed to win impressively.  Thurman threw and landed more.  Bundy threw few and landed even fewer.  It was a long slog. 

The unanimous scores came in at a shutout 120-107 across the board, the crowd booing loudly at the loss of time they’d just experienced.  “Bundu was a smart fighter.  He switched…He came to not get knocked out.”  Thurman chalked the night up as a “learning experience” and called out former Welterweight titlist Marcos Maidana for a showdown next year. 

It’s a fight unlikely to leave the crowd as unhappy as this one did.  Facing a Maidana off two straight pay-per-view headliners with Floyd Mayweather would be a quick way to put this win behind him. 

29-year old former 2004 Mexican Olympian and professional Bantamweight, Jr. Featherweight, and Featherweight titlist Abner Mares (28-1-1, 15 KO), 128, of Montebello, California, won his second straight since a first-round knockout loss to Jhonny Gonzalez in August 2013, scoring knockdowns of 28-year old Jose Ramirez (25-5, 15 KO), 131, of Oxnard, California, in rounds one, three, and five, en route to a corner retirement victory after round five.

The referee was Jack Reiss.

Mares and Ramirez entertained the crowd even as the fight unfolded in a decidedly one-sided fashion.  Abandoning the boxing and caution of his last outing, Mares was back in the trenches where he built an early fan following.  The third and final knockdown he scored was the most vicious of the bunch, Ramirez clearly beaten after a game effort to stay in the fight.  On the advice of the ring doctor, the action was halted after the round.    

The always-gracious Mares was all smiles after the win as he conducted his post-fight interview.  “I’m going to be a four-time champion.  Believe me.  I’m going to take over the Featherweight Champion.  Abner Mares is back.”  Asked specifically what he’d like in 2015, Mares stared down the barrel at Gonzalez and a chance to regain the WBC 126 lb. belt he lost last year.  “I want my rematch,” he said.

Mares is currently rated as the top WBC contender for Gonzalez (57-8, 48 KO).  Gonzalez has successfully defended the title twice since defeating Mares.

In the televised opener, 24-year old Jermall Charlo (20-0, 16 KO), 154, of Houston, Texas, scored a third round stoppage of 37-year old Lenny Bottai (22-3, 9 KO), 154, of Livorno, Toscana, Italy, in an IBF 154 lb. eliminator.  With the win, Charlo earns a shot at IBF titlist Cornelius “K9” Bundrage (34-5, 19 KO) presumably sometime in 2015.

Charlo dominated the fight from bell to bell, working well from range and with heavy blows to the body.  Bottai suffered a cut in round two.  In the third, a flush left hook to the chin sent Bottai hard to the floor.  Bottai beat the count, making it to his feet at the count of nine, but his legs were unsteady.  Referee Jay Nady took a look and waved the action closed at :38 of round three.     

A pleased Charlo had his eye on the prize in his post-fight interview.  “K9, I want you.  I want that IBF now,” Charlo said of his looming title opportunity.  “I have to take advantage of this one.  It’s been a long time coming for Team Charlo.”

Charlo’s twin brother, Jermell (25-0, 11 KO), won a ten-round unanimous decision over Mario Lozano earlier in the night on the undercard.  Jermell Charlo is rated in the top ten by the WBC, IBF, and WBO.  Both brothers are likely to fight for titles in the year ahead.  

The card was broadcast in the US on Showtime as part of its “Championship Boxing” series, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene and a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com