Amir Khan believes he is capable to jump two weight divisions when he faces WBC, The Ring and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez on 7 May in Las Vegas. The former WBA light-welterweight champion was training in Hayward ahead of his WBC Middleweight title fight against Alvarez and Khan believes he has the right game plan to beat the big-hitting Mexican.

Khan said: "Look, Canelo is a big guy, we understand that and he's going to be strong going into this fight. I might not be as strong as him going into this fight, but I am going to be strong and I am going to be faster and I'm going to have better skill. My ring IQ is better and I have better footwork. I think it's all about being the right position, throwing the right shots at the right time.

"I've seen it happen previously, I've seen it happen in history where you've had a smaller guy go into a ring who's the underdog, who's beaten the heavier guy. So it's happened before and I know it's going to happen again."

Many were surprised at the jump from Khan, however Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya, who won 10 world titles in six different weight classes, believes Khan has what it takes.

"He deserves a mega fight, and it's finally going to happen on May 7. Manny Pacquiao didn't want to fight him, Floyd Mayweather didn't want to fight Amir Khan, so now he's fighting the biggest superstar in boxing today in Canelo Alvarez. It's very well deserved because Amir has the pedigree to go out there and put on a great show," De La Hoya said.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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