Anything you Khan do...

Roach and Khan: too good

Salita's undefeated, he's come a long way, but this is a huge step up right now - and it's going to be too much for him.

Freddie Roach
Quotes of the week

KING KHAN THE FIRST DEFENCE
Amir Khan v Dmitriy Salita
WBA Light-Welterweight title
Live on Sky Box Office & in HD
8.00pm, Saturday, December 5
Channel 743 & 752
Call 08442 410888 for details

Also see

• Book the fight
• Amir's Fight Diary
• Our experts on Khan
• Khan pictures

Freddie Roach has told Dmitriy Salita: anything you can do, Amir Khan can do better.

The legendary trainer has seen the light-welterweight champion's mandatory challenger at first-hand and on tape, in the run-up to Saturday's world-title showdown, live on Sky Box Office.

Salita is undefeated in 31 fights and says he has waited 14 years for his moment. He has sparred at Roach's Wild Card Gym in Hollywood and has also been employed as a partner by none other than Floyd Mayweather Jnr.

But Roach believes Khan is simply a class above the New York-based Ukrainian.

"He's a good solid boxer, but everything he does good, we do better," he told skysports.com.

"We have a faster jab; his right-hand counter is good, but he doesn't have the knockout power.

Advantage

"His left hook over the top is probably his best shot, but he jumps in with it and we're going to take advantage of that, land at the same time and knock him out with the left!

"He has a lot of fundamental habits we can take advantage of. He's undefeated, he's come a long way, but this is a huge step up right now - and it's going to be too much for him."

Roach, who has called Manny Pacquiao's last three stellar victories with unerring accuracy, initially said Khan would win by a late stoppage.

But after an intense week of sparring, which has led them halting the sessions ahead of schedule, he now believes the world champion can finish the job off quicker than he first thought.

"I've been studying Salita, watching him fight and the closer and closer we get, I know we're gonna knock him out somehwere along the line," he said.

"It might even be early."