Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez proved size really does matter as he ended the discussion against Amir Khan with a chilling knock-out 23 seconds before the end of round six at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Khan had gambled here in Vegas by jumping up two weight classes from welterweight to challenge for the lineal and WBC middleweight titles against the bigger man in Alvarez but the risk did not pay off for the Englishman.
Huge fights now loom for Canelo as he bids to cement his place as one of the biggest attractions in the sport, while Khan, who suffered the fourth defeat of his 35-fight career, faces another rebuilding job.
Here, Declan Taylor looks at what could be next for Khan.
1) DANNY GARCIA
2) KELL BROOK
The all-British super fight that everyone in the UK wants to see might just have been made more likely by Khan’s defeat in Vegas. Brook holds the IBF welterweight belt and is desperate to get his hands on his English rival, who may have never agreed to take him on had he beaten Canelo. But, even after this loss, Khan would still earn a huge amount of money by facing Brook in a football stadium somewhere in the UK.
3) RETIREMENT?
This was Khan’s 35th fight in a career which has gleaned two world titles and a lot of money in the bank. Away from boxing, Khan is a very busy man, too. He has his charity – The Amir Khan Foundation – which is doing work in the UK and Pakistan, among other places, and he has a young daughter at home that he does not see when he is in training camp. Although it seems unlikely at this point, 29-year-old Khan might just decide that he’s had enough of the sport and hang up his gloves up for good.