Amir Khan defended his WBC Silver welterweight belt after a unanimous decision victory over Devon Alexander at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday. The opening round was an explosive affair with neither man holding back and great hand speed shown in the various exchanges between the pair. The second round proved to be more cagey with Khan coming in and landing more punches.
The British boxer was moving well, landing combinations before slipping the American’s counter punches in round three. The 27-year old from Missouri was falling behind as the trend seemed to continue in the fourth round. The Bolton boxer was dominating the bout at the halfway mark and Alexander was going to require a change in approach if he was to regain lost ground.
Alexander looked better in the eighth round opening up and moving in more although it would be unfair to say Khan was outclassed. With three rounds remaining, Khan was building a comfortable lead and moving into the final quarter of the bout it was surely the 28-year old’s to lose.
The American was expected to come out looking for a knockout blow in the final round but Khan did well to keep his distance, not that he could not resist going toe-to-toe when the opportunity presented himself. All three judges scored the bout in favour of the Briton (119-109, 118-110, 120-108), who must now fancy a go at Floyd Mayweather possibly in May 2015.