Ni Gilbert Espeña
Aminado si British boxing icon Amir Khan na inspirasyon niya sa nakatakdang laban kay WBC middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez ang makasaysayang panalo ng kaibigang si Manny Pacquiao kontra boxing legend Oscar de la Hoya.
Iginiit ni Khan, may ring record na 31-3-0, tampok ang 19 knockouts na nais niyang tularan ang nagawa ni Pacquiao, sa kanyang duwelo sa liyamadong si Alvarez sa Mayo 7 sa T-Mobile Arena sa Las Vegas, Nevada.
Marami ang tumutuligsa sa laban dahil mula sa 147 lbs. (welterweight division) umakyat ng timbang si Khan sa catch weight na 155 lb. para makalaban si Alvarez , na ang tanging talo sa matikas na 46-1-1 marka ay dulot lamang ni Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
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“When we were presented with the idea of fighting a little, tiny Filipino Manny Pacquiao, I laughed. They had to convince me and say, ‘This is a good fight. You should take it. When Manny Pacquiao took the fight, he jumped two weight classes and took me into retirement. Who had the last laugh?,” naunang pahayag ni De La Hoya, promoter ng Khan vs Alvarez fight.
Bukod kay Pacquiao, inspirado rin siya sa ipinakitang halimbawa ng isa pang boxing legend na si Sugar Ray Leonard na ginamit ang bilis para talunin ang mas malalaking kalaban.
“Sugar Ray Leonard fought heavy guys,” paliwanag ni Khan sa BoxingSece.com. “I believe I can make history. As soon as the fight was announced, people said, ‘What’s he oon?,” aniya.
