Amir "King" Khan is expected to be the next opponent for Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September if he can get past Chris Algieri this Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. His trainer Virgil Hunter believes Khan not only has the skills to hand Mayweather the first loss of his professional career, but to assume Mayweather's mantle as boxing's pound-for-pound king.
"Even Andre tells Amir "you have more gifts than me." He has no problem telling him that," Hunter said. "As those talents come fully out and he gains more understanding of the gift he has been given the world is going to be taken aback by who Amir truly is and how great he can be."
Khan, 30-3-0 (19 KO) at the age of 28, has never been shy about his belief that his hand speed and ring IQ are the solution to Mayweather's shoulder role defense, which has puzzled all 48 of his opponents. He's been knocked out twice, but his last KO loss came at junior welterweight in 2012 against still-unbeaten Danny "Swift" Garcia. Khan campaigns at welterweight now, where he says his power is greater and his chin is sturdier since he doesn't have to work hard to cut weight off his large frame.
Hunter believes his fighter is already nearing the Hall of Fame stratosphere.
"Amir is already very close to being a Hall of Fame boxer," says Hunter. "He's already beaten two-time and three-time world champions in (Zab) Judah, (Paulie) Malignaggi, (Luis) Collazo and Marco Antonio Barrera. He's a two-time world champion himself."
Khan, who has been passed over before by Mayweather, might get a boost from Hunter who was very partial to Mayweather's performance vs. Manny Pacquiao on May 2. Most criticized the fight for being dull and charged Mayweather with turning it into a track meet.
Hunter bristled at that, and said he's trying to instill some of Mayweather's tactics in Khan, who in the past has resorted to brawling.
"Why should Floyd get hit if he doesn't need to? If he's the master he should make it look easy, not get punched," Hunter asked. "If you had a son would you send him to the trainer who tells him to give a black eye for a black eye, a bloody mouth for a bloody mouth? Or would you send him to the trainer who teaches him to hit and not be hit?"
One man who prides himself on hitting without being hit is Algieri, who employs and expert jab and legs that rarely get tired. Pacquiao was able to catch Algieri and knock him down six times. If Khan can approach that dominance, he'll likely be staring across from Mayweather in September.
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