Crawford Vs. Amir Khan Is A Gross Mismatch In Every Way But One

Per that famous boxing magazine "Forbes":
Terence Crawford Vs. Amir Khan Is A Gross Mismatch In Every Way But One

4/4/19
Brian Mazique
Contributor

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianm...s-mismatch-in-every-way-but-one/#2f088cd17d8e

"When I first learned WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford would be defending his title against Amir Khan on April 20 at Madison Square Garden in New York, I immediately thought, wow what a mismatch. After having a little over a month to think about it, I still think it's a horrible fight for Khan, but I admit he has one thing going for him, and that's hand speed.

Crawford is physically tougher, he punches harder and is tougher to hit. That's a lot in the champion's favor, but Khan's ability to throw combinations is still his best weapon. Crawford hasn't faced a lot of opponents with hand speed on par with what Khan figures to bring into the ring.

Perhaps the best example was Yuriorkis Gamboa back in 2014 when he was still fighting at 140 pounds. However, Gamboa is also a bit awkward and he packs a little more of a punch than Khan. Most of the other fighters Crawford has faced since have been good technical boxers like Felix Diaz and Viktor Postol, or brawlers like John Molina Jr., but none of them have been capable of firing offense as rapidly as Khan.

Gamboa gave Crawford one of the toughest fights of his career. The only other fighter who was somewhat competitive was Jose Benavidez Jr. back in October. Can Khan duplicate some of what Gamboa was able to accomplish before Crawford knocked him out in the ninth round?

Almost certainly the answer is no. While Khan's hands might actually be faster than Crawford's, the advantage doesn't figure to be so significant that the champion will struggle to find his offense. Also, Crawford is rugged. He can take a punch from opponents who have significant power.

That's something Khan has yet to show at welterweight. Because he's been knocked out so frequently, it seems he doesn't sit down on his punches anymore. Even if he did, I don't think he's capable of matching Crawford's power. The other issue that has plagued Khan, perhaps even more than his perceived weak chin, is his overall defense.

Khan has never been decked and finished by a moderate punch. When he's been knocked out, he's been caught with haymakers. That screams faulty defense and that's a deficiency an opponent cannot afford to have against Crawford–especially if they don't also possess considerable punching power.

Crawford dissects his opponents, figures out their timing and progressively lands for punches. The more comfortable he gets, the harder the punches begin to land

While Khan's hand speed is noteworthy, it won't matter in the end. Crawford will find him and finish this fight with a memorable knockout. In the end, critics will be questioning why Top Rank would even book this fight. Hopefully, we'll see a commitment from Top Rank and Premier Boxing Champions that will allow for Crawford to face the top welterweights under that banner.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear Khan is in that number."