Amir Khan wants to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. badly, and Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya believes a win over Devon Alexander will get him there.
"The big prize is there for the winner, and that is a fight against the Mayweathers of this world. I sure do expect the winner to get the Floyd Mayweather fight. Amir's been wanting the major names in boxing for quite a while because he deserves it," De La Hoya said.
Khan is hoping that De La Hoya's words ring true, but he also said he'd have to defeat Alexander convincingly to enhance his resume. "Obviously it's going to catapult the winner to bigger fights. Alexander wants the big fight and I want the big fight against Mayweather or [Manny] Pacquiao," Khan said. He recognizes that winning impressively is his ticket to the big payday.
"First of all I have to get through this fight in good style," Khan said. "I'm not looking past this fight. I have to stay hungry, stay focused."
The reason Khan's candidacy for a Mayweather fight is in question despite his immense popularity overseas and in the United States is a resume checkered with three losses, two of which by way of knockout. Khan told BoxingScene.com that he's made strides defensively.
"I've made a lot of improvements. I'm a better fighter defensively. I'm more focused, I'm more patient. I'm more of a smart fighter," Khan said.
Mayweather has made light of Khan's previous knockout losses, despite the fact that he's won three straight bouts.
"He [Khan] still got Danny Garcia problems and there's another guy over in the UK. No, not Kell Brook. Kell Brook is a good, little fighter. I was impressed. I'm talking about another guy that slept Amir Khan," Mayweather told Fighthype.com in September.
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