Khan has nothing to be ashamed of

6:20 PM ET

LAS VEGAS — Amir Khan, the former junior welterweight world titleholder and welterweight contender, dared to be great by moving up to middleweight to challenge world champion Canelo Alvarez.

Although it certainly did not work out as he has hoped, Khan should be proud of himself — and be respected by all — for at least trying.

Punch statsPunchesAlvarezKhanLanded6448Thrown170166Percent38%29%– Courtesy of CompuBox

He fought very well until Alvarez erased him with a mammoth right hand in the sixth round for the leading knockout of the year contender in what was a good fight. That was always the way most figured the fight would end, but until that point Khan did a tremendous job of using his speed and skills to give Alvarez problems.

Many of us at ringside at the T-Mobile Arena had Khan leading through five rounds. I had him up 48-47.

“Canelo even mentioned he got frustrated in the first couple of rounds,” Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya said at the post-fight news conference. “We love watching Amir Khan in fights because he’s an exciting fighter. He’s too brave for his own good.”

Amir Khan lost by KO against middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez in the sixth round. Mikey Williams/Tom Hogan Photos

Khan, who did not attend the post-fight …

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