Froch lauds ´ballsy´ Khan for taking on Alvarez

Former WBC and IBF super-middleweight champion Carl Froch has hailed Amir Khan’s “ballsy” decision to take on Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

The bout for the WBC middleweight belt, due to take place in Las Vegas in May, came as a surprise to some when it was announced in February.

Many experts believe Khan – who is moving up from welterweight for the fight – will be out of his depth against Alvarez, whose only defeat in 48 fights came against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

In a media conference featuring both fighters in London on Monday, Khan vowed to prove his doubters wrong and won the praise of Froch, who earned a reputation as a man who consistently took on challenging bouts in his distinguished career.

“I give him a lot of credit. It’s a real ballsy move, very brave, and it’s risky,” Froch told Omnisport.

“That’s what I like in fighters, I like fighters that take risks, I like fighters that believe in themselves and think they can do something that everyone’s against.

“I mean, he’s the underdog for this fight because of the weight difference – he’s got to put on probably the best part of eight pounds against someone who’s a big puncher in Canelo.

“And Khan has been knocked out a couple of times in his career, but he’s also shown he can recover from big punches and he’s toughed it out against people like Marcos Maidana.

“So I can see how Khan can win the fight, I just think it’s going to be very difficult for him. So [I give him] a lot of credit for taking this fight – it’s going to give the fans a real treat and it’s exciting just waiting for the build-up to begin.”