Khan vs Garcia: Amir Khan Says Danny Garcia Not at Elite Level

Six days ahead of his fight with Danny Garcia, Amir Khan tells BoxingScene.com that his opponent may have a world title belt, but doesn't have the skills to fight at boxing's elite level:

"We’re going to in there and we’re going to box him and we’re going to make him look silly. We’re going to show who the better fighter is. There are different levels in boxing and Danny Garcia has won a world title but I don’t think he’s in the same mix as myself and the elite fighters. ... I know I have more skills, more power, more speed than Danny Garcia [and] that’s what is going to win me this fight."

This has been the feeling among many, especially those who saw Garcia (23-0, 14 KO) win but not exactly look great when he beat Erik Morales for the WBC junior welterweight title in March. Morales is old, was fighting heavy, and didn't even make weight, and he was very competitive with the 24-year-old Garcia.

There are, of course, those who feel the Philly fighter will be plenty of trouble for Khan (26-2, 18 KO), and though I'll get into it more later this week with the preview, I can see it going either way. I've personally never been impressed with Danny Garcia, but he wins his fights. He's won all of his fights so far, and I was never terribly impressed with Andre Ward, either, before he beat Mikkel Kessler. I'm not saying Garcia is Andre Ward, I'm just saying that kind of thing can happen.

It's also a question of whether or not Khan is actually as good as Khan thinks Khan is, and as much as I've talked Amir up over the years, reality appears to be that he is a good, flawed fighter, and we know he can lose fights. Is Khan truly elite? That's a question itself.

I think it's going to be interesting. There's a lot to learn in this fight.