Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Amir Khan.

[VG_Addict]

Who would have won? I think Floyd had too much skill for Khan.

I've heard people say that "Floyd would have had trouble against Khan! Khan's only lost by KO, and Floyd can't punch!". Since when do you need to be a hard puncher to hurt Khan? Limond, Gomez, Diaz and Vargas all dropped or hurt Khan, and those guys couldn't crack an egg if they threw one against the wall.

"Prescott and Garcia knocked Khan out, and they were hard punchers!".

Except neither Prescott nor Garcia knocked out anyone of note after knocking Khan out.

I've heard people say that Khan-Mayweather would be a chess match, or one of the most technical fights ever.

Except Khan isn't a technical fighter. Have you ever actually watched Khan fight? His punch mechanics are terrible and he's CONSTANTLY off-balance.

TBH, stylistically, Khan's closer to Pacquiao than he is Floyd. Khan overwhelms opponents with flurries of punches. Interestingly, he has some of the same flaws as Pacquiao. (Not great punch mechanics, poor footwork).

[NoSavingByTheBell]

Who would have won? I think Floyd had too much skill for Khan.

I've heard people say that "Floyd would have had trouble against Khan! Khan's only lost by KO, and Floyd can't punch!". Since when do you need to be a hard puncher to hurt Khan? Limond, Gomez, Diaz and Vargas all dropped or hurt Khan, and those guys couldn't crack an egg if they threw one against the wall.

"Prescott and Garcia knocked Khan out, and they were hard punchers!".

Except neither Prescott nor Garcia knocked out anyone of note after knocking Khan out.

I've heard people say that Khan-Mayweather would be a chess match, or one of the most technical fights ever.

Except Khan isn't a technical fighter. Have you ever actually watched Khan fight? His punch mechanics are terrible and he's CONSTANTLY off-balance.

TBH, stylistically, Khan's closer to Pacquiao than he is Floyd. Khan overwhelms opponents with flurries of punches. Interestingly, he has some of the same flaws as Pacquiao. (Not great punch mechanics, poor footwork).

Floyd can punch. Sharp, jolting shots. He used to knock out a lot of people until about 2006.

[mikeeod]

It would have been an interesting and likely good fight from the perspective of two skilled and fast boxers competing. I don't see Khan beating Floyd, but I see the early rounds being interesting and a high speed, tactical match up with Amir gassing and Floyd taking over in the later rounds- potentially stopping him. Floyd stopped knocking people out when he rose two or three divisions above his best weight- at 140 and below Floyd was stopping elite guys more often than not. Can't really fault him for not stopping much larger, elite fighters like Oscar, Baldomir, Canelo...etc., especially considering all of those guys were durable and had great chins at the time of the fights.

Styles make fights and Floyd had a harder time with boxers with good speed- watch his fights vs Burton, early vs Judah, and early vs Oscar to see what I'm talking about. Not that he didn't or couldn't overcome those types of fighters, just that Amir would have presented style problems early for Floyd. Floyd would have likely attacked the body and fought at a pace that Khan couldn't match, exhausting him in the process and letting Floyd take over late. Khan had stamina issues and one thing Floyd never lacked was lungs/gas in the tank- the guy was a machine in training/fights and outside of maybe BHOP was the greatest conditioned boxer of his generation (BHOP may get the nod from me since he did it at such an advanced age).

[Master]

Floyd wins Khan was never a good welterweight but at the lower weights he stood more of a chance to survive longer. Amir best weight was light welterweight. Floyd would handle the speed of Khan eventually to win on points.

[X]

I agree with Master. Khan was a very good boxer with blistering hand speed and was as brave as they come … but Mayweather is in a truly elite category. A once in a generation type.

Khan would start fast and look very good initially against a cagey Mayweather, landing some eye catching single shots. However, by about the fourth, Floyd starts timing Amir.

I can’t see Khan stopping Mayweather, so by the sixth it’s turning into a beat down. Eventually Khan gasses and gets ragged, and that’s when the curtains close.

Every time.

[Mark TKO]

Prime for prime comfortable UD for Khan

[VG_Addict]

Khan might have comfortably beaten Alexander, but Alexander still marked up Khan's face, as seen in the post-fight conference. And Alexander is NOWHERE NEAR as accurate of a puncher as Floyd.

[Master]

Floyd never stopped a world class welterweight legally when he was champion. Floyd had issues with his hands that needed injections.

[VG_Addict]

I agree with Master. Khan was a very good boxer with blistering hand speed and was as brave as they come … but Mayweather is in a truly elite category. A once in a generation type.

Khan would start fast and look very good initially against a cagey Mayweather, landing some eye catching single shots. However, by about the fourth, Floyd starts timing Amir.

I can’t see Khan stopping Mayweather, so by the sixth it’s turning into a beat down. Eventually Khan gasses and gets ragged, and that’s when the curtains close.

Every time.

Floyd and Khan's respective performances against Canelo show the difference in their skills. Canelo beat Khan using traps.

A Khan-Mayweather fight would show people the difference between a good fighter and an elite fighter, IMO.

[Mark TKO]

Prime for prime comfortable UD for Khan

As much as I didn't mean this and the fact I wasn't a fan of Khan at all I think in his prime he could have given floyd problems. Especially as floyd wasn't a power puncher and I doubt would have even troubled khan's chin.

Styles make fights as the old cliche goes and Khan fighting with half a brain may have built an early lead. It's what the other half of the brain would have done that would have determined the outcome.

[TIC]

floyd knocks out amir

[VG_Addict]

Khan's biggest flaw wasn't his chin or his defense, it was his ring IQ. He had 3 trainers, and none of them could make him a smarter fighter.

You can't fix a ring IQ as bad as Khan's.

[J_Undisputed]

Floyd Jabs Khan to the body to keep him from setting his feet, despite eating a few more jabs that normal. Then floyd starts to time him and Khan starts to wear himself out. Khan's punch resistance problem had more to do with getting caught with the shots he couldn't see, rather than his actual chin-- doesn't have to he a hard shot, just a decent one at the right place and time. Khans speed had him feeling like hes operating at rate that was 2x faster than many opponents. He forgot 2 things that spelled disaster for him... 1.) any boxer could be timed and 2.) he was predictable. This why Garcia was able to stalk walk right down the middle and drop his hook over khan's and put him on queer street, where everything moves in slow motion. Khan had a bad habit of going to the well too many times with the same punch/combo. (always makes for a highlight real knockout)...

That being said, Floyd eventually sends Khan to the 3rd level of check hook purgatory... and then turns it into Floyd vs. corrales. How long it goes on, depends on the ref/ the cornerman & how much air the towel catches. Just my opinion; I could be wrong...

[mikeeod]

Floyd Jabs Khan to the body to keep him from setting his feet, despite eating a few more jabs that normal. Then floyd starts to time him and Khan starts to wear himself out. Khan's punch resistance problem had more to do with getting caught with the shots he couldn't see, rather than his actual chin-- doesn't have to he a hard shot, just a decent one at the right place and time. Khans speed had him feeling like hes operating at rate that was 2x faster than many opponents. He forgot 2 things that spelled disaster for him... 1.) any boxer could be timed and 2.) he was predictable. This why Garcia was able to stalk walk right down the middle and drop his hook over khan's and put him on queer street, where everything moves in slow motion. Khan had a bad habit of going to the well too many times with the same punch/combo. (always makes for a highlight real knockout)...

That being said, Floyd eventually sends Khan to the 3rd level of check hook purgatory... and then turns it into Floyd vs. corrales. How long it goes on, depends on the ref/ the cornerman & how much air the towel catches. Just my opinion; I could be wrong...

Everyone talks about Floyd's Philly Shell/shoulder roll defense and check hook, but you nailed it with the jab to the body. Such an overlooked and underrated weapon of his. Floyd was masterful at timing and landing that shot consistently throughout the fight- disrupting his opponents rhythm and breathing, often making them gas as the fight progressed. The other thing that punch did was set up Floyd's lead right hand by forcing opponents to bring their hands down to protect their body and hopefully catch Floyd with a counter- which inevitably provided Floyd with the option of feinting the jab to the body and then putting a little more on the lead right when the opponent reacted. As you pointed out- this would prove difficult for Khan to overcome/deal with.

[Master]

They may face each other in an exhibition match.