Amir Khan has beaten Devon Alexander by unanimous points decision to take the WBC Silver welterweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Khan controlled the fight from the start, using his superior speed to stay ahead of Alexander and out-punching his American opponent who could do nothing to change the rhythm as the night went on.
Khan’s performance was reflected in a comfortable win, with the fight scored 119-109, 118-110, 120-108 – the 30th win of his professional career.
Having taken care of business, Khan immediately signalled that he wanted to use the win to earn a shot at Floyd Mayweather.
“I really believe that I’ve earned my shot against the best fighter in the world which is Floyd Mayweather,” Khan said in his post-bout interview in the ring, carried on Sky Sports 1. “I believe Khan v Mayweather will be huge, the UK fans will come to watch and come to support and we’re going to take the belt off him.
“I really believe Floyd will have big problems with speed, movement, accuracy. You know, Floyd’s one of the best fighters in the world, don’t get me wrong, but I want my chance now, let’s see what happens.”
In the build-up to the fight, though, Mayweather indicated he would rather face Manny Pacquiao, but Khan’s confident performance will help his case.
Mayweather gave the strongest indication yet that he is willing to begin negotiations for a super-fight against Manny Pacquiao and even suggested a date of May next year.
A prospective bout between the two biggest names in the sport has been dogged by promotional and political differences leading many to suggest the biggest fight of a generation may never happen.
But in an interview with Showtime Boxing, Mayweather said: “I would love to fight Manny Pacquiao - we’re trying to make the fight happen. Years ago we had problems with random blood and urine testing. I just want to have an even playing field.
“Now he’s in a very, very tight situation with his loss to (Juan Manuel) Marquez and his loss to (Timothy) Bradley. His pay-per-view numbers are extremely low, so he’s desperate. I’ve wanted that fight a long time ago.
“Floyd Mayweather is not ducking or dodging any opponent. Now it’s time for us to talk, we want to fight. Let’s make it happen. May 2, Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, let’s do it.”
Last week a US-based executive claimed that a consortium of Abu Dhabi investors were hoping to bring the pair to fight here.
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