It was the bravest act in recent sports history. Amir Khan, a WBC Silver welterweight title holder, took on the heavier world champion, Canelo Alvarez. Khan jumped up to the middleweight division to challenge his opponent. From the beginning, Khan put up a fight using his quickness to maneuver around the ring, giving Alvarez all he could handle. It lasted until the sixth round when Alvarez hit Khan with a strong right cross knocking him out.

While the match ended in a KO, Khan was commended for putting up such a great fight. He was expected to have won the match if he was not KOed in the end. This fight presented an important message for all athletes. No matter the size or skill of the competition, one must take them seriously and have confidence because they may come out with the win.

Khan honestly had no business being in the fight against Alvarez, but he wanted to take on the challenge anyway. He had confidence in himself and ended up making it an entertaining fight. That is the key in sports. Always have confidence in your ability and do not be afraid to mess up. Allow yourself to be great. In an interview with ESPN after the fight, Khan said, “Thank you for the opportunity, and all the best for the future champ. No matter how big [and] tough the challenge, go out there [and] give it everything. Aim high. Believe or you will never know.”

Everyone loves an underdog who is not afraid of anyone. Part of being the fearless underdog is being willing to accept great challenges, but also be willing to put in the work. No champion or successful athlete has ever won in their respective sport by chance. It all goes back to how much work you have put in. For Khan, it is clear that he is a tremendously hard worker. If he was anything short of that, he would not have been able to last as long as he did in the fight.

In my personal experiences in sports, there is one award that you do not want to get at the end of the season. The most improved player. Most people assume that this award is one for the worst player on the team; someone who was really bad at the beginning of the season and is not as bad anymore, but still kind of bad. After watching the fight and reflecting on what Khan was able to do, I have a new outlook on this. Going back to having a good work ethic, this award reflects who has put in the most work, wanting to improve.

There is nothing to be ashamed of in this. Look at C.J. McCollum of the Portland Trailblazers, the 2016 NBA Most Improved Player. In one season, McCollum doubled his minutes from 15 per game to 34 per game. He also went from averaging 6.8 points to a crazy 20.8 points. How could this happen in one offseason? The Trailblazers lost a few starters in free agency and McCollum was ready to step up to the challenge. Coming into his third year in the NBA, he was inexperienced but ready for anything that came his way. He trained and worked hard in the offseason and the result came.

‘Believe or you will never know.’ This should be the official mission state of any athlete. If you do not believe and have confidence in yourself, you will never be able to uncover your full potential. Any athlete at any level needs to keep this in mind. It is a mindset that is vital to everyone’s success. Work hard, study film, but most importantly believe in yourself and the talents that you have been given.

To read last week’s World of Sports, read World of Sports: Controversial video headlines NFL draft.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @Phillip11499 and via email: Phillip Christopher.