Friday 12 December 2014 09:29, UK
Oscar De La Hoya says Amir Khan’s showdown with Devon Alexander on Saturday will see “the best against the best".
The former multi-weight world champion, who is promoting the fight, admits he is a massive fan of Khan and believes the Briton’s best years are ahead of him.
Khan will defend his WBC silver welterweight title against the American in Las Vegas, live on Sky on Saturday night, and De La Hoya believes victory should see the Bolton fighter rewarded with a shot at the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
But the American expects Khan to have a tough night.
“You have the best against the best,” De La Hoya told Sky Sports News HQ. "The level of competition, where they are fighting at, it doesn’t get better than this.
“You have a skilled, fast, hungry young fighter in Amir Khan. I believe he’s just beginning. He’s found his comfort zone. He’s learning, he’s growing. He has to be very careful with Devon Alexander because he’s in that same position himself. He knows this fight can make or break his career.
I love his fighting spirit. They don’t make them like that any more.
“I love his fighting spirit. They don’t make them like that any more. Amir Khan is dedicated, he takes his craft seriously. He’s a real throwback fighter. If he had to fight every week, he’d fight every week.
“He enjoys boxing and he understands the seriousness of training, of competing. When he’s off training, he’s always in shape. He’s a serious, serious fighter.”
Khan has suffered some high-profile defeats in recent years against Breidis Prescott, Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia, and the way he has got his career back on track has impressed De La Hoya.
“One thing about Amir Khan – he keeps bouncing back,” he said. “He doesn’t stay on the canvas and quit. No – he’ll get back up and fight. He has the skill – yes, maybe he has that flaw where if they hit him flush on the chin he’ll wobble a little bit in the legs, but he’ll come back. He’s not a quitter.
“I believe he’s found the perfect match with his trainer [Virgil Hunter]. They are working on new things. I think we’re going to see the best of Amir Khan for years to come. And yes, he deserves the big fights.”
Should Khan win, 2015 could be a huge year for him, and De La Hoya believes next year could be big for the whole sport.
“Fighters are now willing to accept the tough matches now,” he said. “They understand that if they want to be the best, you have to fight the best. Forget about the business – think about the fight first. Then the business will come. If you think about the fight first, then you will make history, then you will become a legend.”
Watch Amir Khan v Devon Alexander, live on Sky Sports 1 at 2.00am on Sunday, December 14.
