Some pundits claimed that, if Amir Khan were to lose his fight against Saul Alvarez, it could be the end of his career.
Sadly for the British fighter, that’s exactly what happened in Las Vegas on Saturday evening.
Khan had battled hard through the first five rounds, but he left his jaw exposed for a split-second, and ‘Canelo’ seized upon the opportunity that was presented to him.
Throwing a brutal, heavy right-hander at Khan, Alvarez knocked him out cold.
Khan hit the canvas and was out like a light, but after a few minutes of worry and concern for the Bolton fighter, he got back up and assured his team he was fine.
“I’m alright, I’m alright,” he told his corner.
He later tweeted to reassure his fans of his good health, and congratulated Alvarez on a “monster punch”.
Im okay everyone 😃 thats boxing for you, congrats to @Canelo monster punch, much love to all the fans! #CaneloKhan pic.twitter.com/oQcqZQrsLl
— Amir Khan (@amirkingkhan) May 8, 2016
With Khan making the brave decision to go up two weight divisions to make this fight happen, he was always in danger of being overpowered by ‘Canelo’ – who entered the ring with a reputation as somewhat of a knockout specialist.
But Khan showed bravery to make the step up, and had performed well in the first five rounds.
In boxing you have greats and you have legends.. You have to do something legendary to make you a legend.. #AndTheNew #CaneloKhan 🇬🇧
— Amir Khan (@amirkingkhan) May 7, 2016
He used his speed and movement to get the better of Canelo in the first few stanzas. He was throwing a high volume of punches at the Mexican champion who could only land a few solid shots.
Khan didn’t look to be hurting Canelo, but his quick flurries of punches appeared to be putting ahead on points.
But in the sixth round the belt-holder found his range as he landed a shuddering left-right combination.
Then the killer blow came as Khan left his jaw wide open and the Mexican dropped him with a huge overhand right which left the Brit out cold.
Canelo is now calling for a title unification bout with with big-punching Khazakh fighter Gennady Golovkin
