Khan's unique position as the only boxer to have faced both Canelo and Crawford makes his opinion particularly interesting. He fought Canelo Alvarez in May 2016 for the WBC middleweight title, losing by knockout in the sixth round. Three years later, Khan challenged Terence Crawford for the WBO welterweight title at 147 pounds. Crawford dropped Khan in the first round and won by TKO in the sixth.
Despite these experiences with two of boxing's biggest stars, Khan insists that neither hit as hard as Marcos Maidana. Khan and Maidana clashed in December 2010, with Khan winning a unanimous decision in defense of his WBA super-lightweight title.
Khan vividly recalled the power of Maidana's punches during the podcast:
"Marcos Maidana. I beat him in 2010. That guy's a beast. I cannot remember anything. The first round then next thing the fight was a blur, man. I only get to remember things when I watch the fight back on TV. What a fight that was. Exciting. You had speed, power, everything in there. He was very heavy-handed."
The British boxer went on to describe the unique quality of Maidana's punches:
"When he hits you, you feel it. It's not one of them stinging shots. I've been put down with shots that haven't hurt me, a flash knockdown, but with him he had that devastating power that would go through you. Even when he was next to you and hits you in the side of the ribs, you feel how heavy his hand is. So I have to say Maidana was the heaviest hitter."
Khan's revelation comes at an interesting time, as Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford are expected to face each other later this year. The fight will pit two of the current pound-for-pound greats against each other, and fans are eager to see how their styles and power match up.
You can watch Khan's full interview on the AHAT Live Podcast YouTube channel, where he discusses more about his experiences in the ring and his thoughts on current boxing matchups.