Mayweather vs. Maidana - Amir Khan: "I'm going out there to win in style"

Once one of the brightest rising stars in boxing, Amir Khan's path to greatness has taken a few unexpected turns lately. Khan (28-3, 19 KO) stunned onlookers with his blistering offense and footspeed, but his unfortunate tendency to get stunned himself resulted in a devastating knockout loss at the hands of current WBC light welterweight champion Danny Garcia (28-0).

After rebounding with wins over Carlos Molina (17-1-1) and Julio Diaz (40-9-1), Khan is now looking to reestablish himself as a champion-caliber boxer with a win over the crafty Luis Collazo (35-5).

Khan had this to say about his opponent, via Ring TV:

Collazo is a very good fighter who is coming to win on May 3, so I know he can’t be overlooked. He’s tricky and awkward because of his southpaw style, and very determined. With someone like that you know you’re going to be in for a tough challenge, but it’s a fight that I’m really looking forward to.

On Collazo knocking out Victor Ortiz in his last fight:

I was impressed because I don’t think many experts tipped Collazo to win in that fashion. That’s what I’m saying about his determination. He showed that he would not be beat that night and took it to Victor Ortiz, who is a very good fighter. It was an impressive performance, so I know that this is going to be a great matchup.

When asked his thoughts about potentially fighting Floyd Mayweather after this bout, Khan insisted that he was only focused on Collazo.

In the past I’ve gone into fights thinking about what’s next but the truth is, in boxing, you should never look past your immediate opponent. If I do get past Collazo then we’ll take it from there and sit down with my team. But for now, it’s all about Collazo and May 3. . . . All I know is that I’m going out there to win and do it in style. I don’t know if it will be via stoppage or points, but my aim is to get the victory and look good doing it.

Khan's prediction for Saturday's main event, a welterweight clash between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Marcos Maidana, goes along with public perception.

I think Mayweather will outbox him over 12 rounds. Maidana has a puncher’s chance but I think Floyd will be too slick for him and pick him off.

Khan outboxed Maidana himself in December of 2010, but came perilously close to being a victim of Maidana's "puncher's chance" in that fight.

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