Khan to pocket $13m in Canelo showdown
Britain’s Amir Khan will earn a reported $13 million (£8.8 million) when he fights Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez for the WBC World middleweight title at Las Vegas’ new T-Mobile Arena this Saturday night, according to the Daily Mirror.
Khan (31-3 19 KOs) will meet Canelo (46-1-1 32 KOs) in one of the most fascinating boxing bouts in recent memory on May 7 and promoter Oscar De La Hoya is hopeful it will be a hit on pay-per-view. The head of Golden Boy Promotions is targeting 2,000,000 buys this Saturday night live on HBO, more than double the number Canelo vs Miguel Cotto produced last November.
It will mean Amir Khan will take home a career-best purse of around $13m, with Canelo likely pocketing more as the defending champion and bigger attraction.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Khan, the 2004 Olympic silver medallist, said:
The fight against Canelo isn’t about money.
I’m fighting him because he’s one of the top names in boxing and those are the types of challenges that I thrive on.
I’ve always wanted to test myself against the very best and that’s what Canelo is.
This fight is probably the toughest one out there for me, but it gives me a chance to show where I belong.
According to promoter Oscar De La Hoya, the contract for this 155lbs match-up includes a rematch clause in the favour of the WBC middleweight champion Canelo, should Khan produce a minor upset. This means Khan will only increase his wealth if he can secure victory this weekend, along cementing his position as amongst the world’s best pound-for-pound boxers.