Alvarez KOs Khan, retains WBC middleweight title

Canelo Alvarez walks away after knocking down Amir Khan. REUTERS

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez successfully defended his World Boxing Council middleweight title in spectacular fashion Saturday with a devastating sixth-round knockout of Amir Khan in Las Vegas.

The 25-year-old Mexican dropped Khan with a straight right hand over a left jab that sent the Briton crumbling to the canvas with just 23 seconds left in the round. 

The back of Khan's head bounced off the deck, prompting his corner to rush to his aide as he lay there motionless for a couple of minutes.

Khan eventually got up and went to his corner as the savage end, to what was supposed to be the biggest fight of his career, will undoubtedly strengthen the notion that he has a soft chin.

Khan, a former light welterweight world champion, managed to avoid danger by jabbing and boxing in circles in the early rounds.

A palpable underdog in the title fight, Khan was hit flash in the chin by a Canelo right hand in round 6 that dropped him motionless to the canvass. Seeing a senseless body inside the ring, referee Kenny Bayless quickly waved the fight and awarded Alvarez with a knockout victory.

The highlight reel knockout improved Alvarez's record to 47-1-1 with 33 knockouts while Khan fell to 31-4 with 19 knockouts.

It was a shocking end to what had been a surprisingly close fight up to that point as Khan moved up two weight classes to face the bigger champ.

The 29-year-old Khan started strong and even won the first couple of rounds before Alvarez worked his way into the fight at the brand new T-Mobile Arena.

Alvarez is now mandated by the WBC to fight unbeaten two-belt champ Gennady Golovkin, who was at ringside Saturday.

At Friday's weigh-in, both boxers scaled 155 pounds, bang on the catch-weight limit.

Many Mexicans were in Las Vegas to celebrate the Cinco de Mayo festival weekend, meaning the majority of the crowd was on Alvarez's side.

There was also a vocal contingent of Khan's fans, who made the trip from Britain for the title fight.

Also in attendance at ringside for the fight were boxing legends Evander Holyfield, Roberto Duran and Roy Jones as well as the fight promoter Oscar de la Hoya.

Alvarez-Khan was the first boxing match to take place at the 20,000-capacity T-Mobile Arena. The $375 million facility opened last month. —Agence France-Presse with JM Siasat/APG, GMA News