After knocking Vargas down, then being knocked down himself, Khan spent the next few rounds cagily avoiding Vargas’ attempts to claim a knockout, and looking increasingly fatigued as the fight went on. While Khan’s first comeback fight against Phil Lo Greco lasted less than a minute, his second against Samuel Vargas went the distance (though the Brit was lucky to reach the third round). Crawford is an unbeaten, unorthodox, former undisputed champion with a respectable knockout rate – not the kind of fighter to be taken lightly. But while he may be keen to disparage Crawford’s past opponents publicly, it’d be foolish to write the American off. Though early press events had each fighter dishing out their fair share of respect, Khan has shaken things up. You can be sure Crawford’s fist will be heading his way the second he’s exposed. Against a fighter as dangerous as Crawford, Khan will have to be patient and pick his shots and combinations carefully. His well-documented weakness reared its ugly head in his last bout against Vargas, with the Colombian tagging him late in the second round and almost winning the fight as a result. While Khan’s hand speed is undeniable, he’s sometimes a little too eager to let his fists fly, leaving his aforementioned chin wide open. As brilliant as Crawford is, Khan’s hand speed will likely be the quickest he’s faced in his distinguished career – other than his own, of course. When he gets into his stride, Khan’s hands become a blurred flurry of motion his best wins often coming as a result of his trademark cascade of rapid combinations. Were Khan a cowboy in a John Wayne western, he’d have grizzled 50-something men nodding in his direction and saying something along the lines of, “that there kid’s got the fastest hands I ever seen”. And while Khan is undoubtedly the underdog in this matchup, if he uses that extra weight (and the power that comes with it) to tire Crawford out, there’s every chance that the historic upset he’s been promising will become a reality. As such, Khan goes into the fight the heavier man. Crawford, on the other hand, accrued many of his victories as a natural lightweight. Khan is a naturally heavier (albeit not by much) welterweight.
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