Canelo Alvarez expects Amir Khan to mimic Floyd Mayweather
Tuesday 26 April 2016 13:03, UK
Canelo Alvarez is preparing for another Floyd Mayweather as he plots Amir Khan's downfall on May 7.
The Mexican's sole defeat to date came against superstar Mayweather in September 2013, and he is anticipating similarly slippery tactics from Khan in their WBC middleweight title fight in Las Vegas.
The Briton is jumping two divisions to take on Alvarez - albeit at a catchweight 155lbs - and those pundits who give him a chance believe he must rely on his superior speed and stay out of range of a naturally bigger opponent.
That same approach yielded a points win for Mayweather and saw Erislandy Lara trouble Alvarez before losing on split decision in the summer of 2014.
But the champion insists he is ready this time, and speaking at a public workout 12 days out from fight night Alvarez said: "Every fighter is different, every fighter brings different skills and you have to adjust for that.
"For Amir, we have focused on increasing my hand speed, counter punching and preparing for lots of movement and footwork.
"We believe Amir will adopt a similar style to Floyd Mayweather Jr and Erislandy Lara; however, we have made sure that I am prepared for that style of boxing and anything he brings to the table to not be surprised on fight night.
"I can't predict a definite outcome, but I can say that I am going to bring the best of me in the ring."
Eddy Reynoso, Alvarez's trainer, said: "Amir's style is one of speed, both hand speed and foot movement.
"We have made those adjustments to Canelo's camp and made sure to select sparring partners with similar styles in order to prepare Canelo for fight night.
"Canelo is in the best shape of his career and the fans will be surprised at how fast and strong he is going to be."
