Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions have announced a December 13th return to the Mandalay bay in Las Vegas, Nevada with a card headlined by the WBO Light Middleweight title fight between Demetrius Andrade and Jermell Charlo. The co-feature has welterweights and former world title holders Amir Khan and Devon Alexander facing each other in a highly anticipated match-up.
Alexander is a former World Champion at Light Welterweight, but he dropped the title in January of 2011 to Timothy Bradley. He went on to capture the IBF World Title at Welterweight, and he lost it to Shawn Porter in December of 2013. Alexander is a pro who has fought at a high level twice a year since back in 2009. In June of 2014 he defeated Argentine Jesus Soto Karass on points, but prior to that he lost a unanimous decision to Shawn Porter.
Khan is generally accepted to be at a higher level than Alexander, so if this fight goes the distance it favors Khan. Khan, also 27, has a slew of other questions around him heading into the fight however. Khan has lobbied fiercely to fight Floyd Mayweather, and the fight just has not happened. The wait has caused this match-up with Alexander to be cancelled in the past, so there is certainly a question of motivation when it comes to Khan. Come fight time, Khan will have fought one time in the last 20 months, and no matter what he says, he has to be leery of looking past Alexander.
Khan has a strong following in England and he is one of the few fighters in the world who can command big money based on his appeal, but waiting for Mayweather has hurt some of that fan-base. In the U.K., a big money fight against countryman Kell Brook recently did not move beyond the talking stages when Brook was stabbed while on vacation. Khan will open the favorite when the lines open up, but if Khan is less than motivated Alexander is enough of a pro to make it dangerous.
