Khan v Alexander: Has Virgil Hunter managed to change Amir Khan? The Panel isn't sure...

We are counting down the days until Amir Khan is back on our screens so The Panel of Watt, Nelson, McCrory, Moore and Smith gives its take on his trainer...

Everyone rates trainer Virgil Hunter and his approach, so are we going to see a new Amir Khan?

Jim Watt: To call him a new Amir Khan is completely wrong - he's had trouble throughout his career simply because the pace he works at is so fast. He throws punches so quickly that he surely can't think that quickly, and that is where the mistakes come in. The good thing about Virgil Hunter is he likes his fighters to think more, which will help, I'm sure. I am expecting Amir to be more thoughtful, rather than reacting to mistakes, and the calming influence of Hunter will help. But in terms of the new trainer and the new Amir Khan? Well we've been asked that a couple of times already and it is still the Amir Khan we love to watch! We don't want him to go the other way and become boring and over-cautious, that's for sure.

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Glenn McCrory: I like Hunter a lot but I'm one of those who believes the trainer can only do so much. I think he knows boxing inside out and I think his defensive knowledge will help, but at the end of the day when Amir Khan is in the ring it is all about him and what he decides to do. He is never going to follow the gameplan is he? Yes, Virgil can tell him to be more composed or calmer, especially if he gets hit, but the one thing Amir always does is give as good as he gets. If he gets hit, he will jump straight back in and respond. And that will never change.

Johnny Nelson: The problem with Amir – we know he’s quick, technical and has fast hands – is when he saw the red mist, he’d have a tear-up and get hurt. Virgil, who I really rate, has matured him and told him to calm down. He’s shown Amir his weaknesses because he’s a better boxer than he is a fighter. Virgil himself is a better technical trainer, he doesn’t show fighters how to stand there toe-to-toe. This is the best move for Amir.

Jamie Moore: I don't think he is going to improve him in terms of his skill-set, but if Amir does evolve into a better fighter under him, it's more down to the experience he's had and what he's gone through. Amir’s had setbacks all the way through, and learning from these is always going to make you a better fighter. It could actually have more to do with the timing of his decision to work with Virgil Hunter, rather than the actual influence he has on him. Yes, he is a calm, straight-down-the-middle type of guy and I like the way he gets things across to his fighters, but it is more to do with Amir's mind-set now. 

Hunter is polishing a rough diamond.

Paul Smith: I think Amir has improved under Hunter, no doubt about it. He has improved fight-by-fight, and I think we could see something different this time. Nothing dramatically, but much better all-round skills and even better than the Luis Collazo performance, which really impressed me. Hunter is polishing a rough diamond, really. I think he got the perfect start with Oliver Harrison but then he went off a little bit. And of course Freddie Roach is a great trainer but he was always a bit too attack-minded for Amir, who needs to work on his defence - and Hunter is great at coaching that. 

Watch Amir Khan v Devon Alexander, live on Sky Sports 1, from 2.00am on Sunday morning.