Amir Khan dominates Devon Alexander to earn unanimous decision victory

Amir Khan lands hook on Alexander / Photo: Esther Lin (Showtime)

What was supposed to be a significant test for Amir Khan at his new home in the welterweight division turned out to be a walk in the park, as Khan utilized his blazing hand speed and superior reach to outbox Devon Alexander en route to a convincing 12-round unanimous decision win.  The judges gave Khan nearly every round, scoring the fight 119-109, 118-110, and 120-108.

"We knew we had to make a statement at 147 pounds," Khan said. "I was up against a very skilled fighter and I knew we couldn't make any mistakes. I'm the best boxer with the quickest hands in the world and I think this was one of my best performances."

Billed as a matchup between two fast welterweights looking to make a splash in the division, Khan took control from the outset, bagging rounds by throwing jabs and combinations from a safe distance before the southpaw Alexander could step in and return fire.

"He was the better man tonight," Alexander said, a former two-division champion.  "My coach told me to get off and I wasn't getting off. I could have caught him I just didn't do it tonight. I was supposed to follow the game plan, I was moving good but I just couldn't move forward and get off."

In just his second fight at 147 pounds, Khan looked very comfortable at this weight class, as the former unified super lightweight world champion landed 54 percent of his power punches compared to 32 percent for Alexander.  Overall Khan landed 43 percent of his total shots versus Alexander's 20 percent.

"I'm getting better as I'm getting older," said Khan.  "I have the best jab in the business and my speed causes a lot of problems for guys."

It seems like all those rounds sparring at the Wild Card Gym with Manny Pacquiao helped as well, as Khan extended his winning streak against southpaws to seven.

Khan's victory once again raised the possibility of a showdown with Floyd Mayweather, who last year asked fans on Twitter if they would rather see him fight Marcos Maidana or Khan.  The public overwhelmingly chose Khan in that poll, but Mayweather discarded public opinion, eventually making two fights with Maidana.

Now with Khan earning a legitimate victory over a name fighter in the division, he must be considered a viable candidate for a Mayweather fight, especially if the Mayweather-Pacquiao dream matchup once again fails to materialize.

Khan, who has been campaigning for a chance to fight pound-for-pound champion Floyd Mayweather, stated his case for a showdown in 2015.

"I really believe I earned my shot against the best fighter in the world, which is Floyd Mayweather," Khan said. "I believe he'll have problems with my speed, movement and accuracy. I'm going to leave it to my team and let's hope we get that fight."

Keith Thurman earns decision against Leonard Bundo

In the co-feature, Keith Thurman proved he can box as well as bang, showcasing his skills and footwork in a shutout unanimous decision victory over previously undefeated Leonard Bundo.  All three judges scored the fight 120-107.

"Bundu was a smart fighter," Thurman said. "He was tricky and he switched. He came to not get knocked out and he was able to do that, but he was unable to win rounds. It was hard to time him because he was always switching it up, but we boxed smart. It was a great learning experience."

Thurman (24-0, 21 KOs), who made the third defense of his interim WBA Welterweight World Title, scored a knockdown in the first round, but was unable to find his rhythm and went the distance for just the third time in his career against the awkward Bundo (31-1-2, 11 KOs).

Bundu, who was making his U.S. debut after campaigning mostly in Italy, found it hard to hit the elusive Thurman.

"He was moving too much," Bundu said. "I don't want to say he was running, but he was running. I got surprised in the first round when he dropped me, but I was fine after that."

After the win, Thurman called out another fighter who happened to be sitting at ringside.

"I want Marcos Maidana," said Thurman.  "I see you, let's go. Mano y mano."

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services