Amir Khan considering immediate move to welterweight, shot at Devon Alexander

Following a bit of a struggle this past Saturday against Julio Diaz at a 143-pound catchweight, Amir Khan says he's thinking about an immediate move up in weight to the welterweight division, something that has supposedly been in the works for a while now.

This would eliminate the chances of Khan (28-3, 19 KO) facing Danny Garcia or the Lamont Peterson-Lucas Matthysse winner later this year, but that whole thing always seemed a bit unlikely, anyway. Khan's next fight is tentatively slated for December, and if he does it at welterweight, it sounds like Devon Alexander, the IBF titlist, is the target:

"I am going to talk to my trainer Virgil Hunter to see what he thinks about that idea, but I think it will be a perfect fight for me because he has just moved up to 147. Plus, I will be more healthy at the weight and happier at making the weight. It's getting tougher making the weight as I get older and fill out. It's about making weight right. When you start killing yourself to make the weight, it does make you vulnerable.

"It makes you weaker and it is getting to that stage now in the 140 division. Maybe if I go up to 147 it will make me healthier at the weight and more resilient. I know that financially it will be better for Alexander to fight me. We know that because that's what we bring to the table."

Alexander will face Lee Purdy on May 18, as part of the Peterson-Matthysse card. If he retains, as he's expected to, he could potentially be open to face Khan late this year, if the IBF decides to remove Kell Brook as Alexander's mandatory challenger. An Alexander-Brook fight was scheduled three times this year, and postponed each time. Two of the three times, the cancellation was due to an injury to Brook.