Canelo Alvarez earned one of the wildest knockouts of his career on this day nine years ago.
After winning two middleweight titles, Canelo Alvarez defended them against UK star Amir Khan in May 2016. In front of a raucous crowd at T-Mobile Arena, Alvarez put on one of the most dominant performances of his career, after some believed Khan had the style to give him fits in the ring.
Alvarez’s clash with Khan came just four fights after suffering his first-career defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr. by majority decision. The loss to Mayweather ended up being the catalyst to Alvarez’s surge in the ring, showcasing everything he learned against Khan when they fought.
But it was Alvarez’s offensive arsenal, and not his vastly improved defense, that led the dance against Khan.
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Canelo Alvarez sent Amir Khan flying with one right hand
Alvarez and Khan fought five competitive rounds in the ring, with Alvarez getting the better of most of the early exchanges. But Khan had some moments, at one point stunning Alvarez with a right hand that sent the champion on his back foot.
As the sixth round kicked off, Alvarez picked up the pace and left Khan befuddled as they glided across the ring. Alvarez made Khan bite on a left-hand feint in a big way, before landing a right hand up high to Khan’s chin that sent his rival collapsing to the canvas.
The knockout punch left Khan staring at the ceiling in a scary post-fight moment for all parties involved. It’s regarded by many as one of the greatest knockouts of Alvarez’s career.
You can watch a slow-motion version of Alvarez’s knockout sequence below.
Canelo Alvarez turns attention to Terence Crawford after a heavily criticized win
Flash forward to modern day, and Alvarez is months away from arguably the biggest fight of his career against Terence Crawford. It’s one of the most highly anticipated fights of 2025, featuring two of the sport’s biggest names.
But Alvarez’s stock is somewhat dampened by a sluggish performance against William Scull last weekend. While Alvarez won the fight in dominant fashion on the scorecards, it wasn’t the performance many expected from a fighter of his caliber.
Alvarez will have the chance to get back in the good graces of fans when he clashes with Crawford later this year.
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