Did Amir Khan hit the Floyd Mayweather jackpot Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada?
Only time will tell, but Khan (30-3, 19 KOs) could be the frontrunner after winning a dazzling 12-round unanimous decision over the capable Devon Alexander.
The scores were 119-109, 118-110 and 120-108.
Maxboxing and Doghouseboxing had Khan winning 119-109.
Khan, who hasn’t held a world title in over two years, jabbed well in the opening stanza. He stung Alexander with a sharp combination.
Alexander, a southpaw, countered with a left, but Khan caught the St. Louis native with a hard right.
In the next few rounds, Khan used his advantage in length to keep Alexander (26-3, 14 KOs) at bay. He changed the level of his attack--working the body and attacking the head.
Alexander finally had some success in round five. He connected with a sneaky right--followed by a hook to the body. Khan fired back with a blurry combination that snapped Alexander’s head back.
Khan landed a wicked left hook in round six. Alexander, a former two-division champion, took the punch well. He marched forward but without a strategy. Khan began to circle, firing accurate jabs that stopped Alexander in his tracks.
After being told by his corner he was losing the fight, Alexander grew more aggressive in the next few heats. A counter left hook landed flush on the chin of Khan. Alexander was attempting turn himself into a slugger, but his lack of real punching power was evident.
Khan, was reminded by trainer Virgil Hunter to stay focused. He fired a three-punch salvo that landed. He convinced Alexander of his superiority by winning the last round with ease.
“I trained very hard,” said Khan in the ring. “Thanks to Virgil Hunter and Tony. I was up against a very skilled fighter. I’m getting better.”
“I’m not going to make any excuses,” said a contrite Alexander. “He was the better man tonight.”
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