Amir Khan Has Shown His Tenacity, But What Are His Options?
Amir Khan has always emphatically hit back at the critics following defeat. The Bolton boxer has heard time after time that his shot at the elite is over, that he does not have the overall attributes to make it to the top. Every time he has worked diligently to defy them. He currently stands at number-four in the world at 147lbs, according to Ring Magazine’s ratings, and he is up there in some legendary company.
It is a testament to not just his skill, but his tenacity that he is even within touching distance of the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, especially if you listened to some of his detractors. His chin and his will were questioned on many occasions but he has mostly managed to get past that, although of course he has had to work hard on his defence to make up for the shortcomings. He has made big switches and took tough calls to keep pushing forward and you have to credit him for that.
Photo via drkhalidfcps on Flickr
When he narrowly lost out on Olympic gold to Cuba’s Mario Kindelan, Khan made it his mission to face him before his amateur career was out. He did, and in his farewell to the unpaid ranks he finally pulled one back on his rival so he could move on with that behind him. Khan took on Kindelan in his home town, and even then his opponent was questioning his ability to take the punches, especially in the pro game. He finally got the better of the South American amateur star, and that paved the way for a successful and much-publicised run.
As a boisterous and outspoken, undefeated up-and-comer, he was very quickly humbled by Breidis Prescott. It was Khan’s first big arena show and pay-per-view combination. He was 18-0 with 14 knockouts and was already vocal about wanting the major titles around his waist. Prescott was 19-0 with 18 knockouts. It was always going to be a very dangerous fight and a true litmus test for the former Olympian. It backfired spectacularly. Khan was sent to the canvas twice and finished off before a minute had gone. All the talk was muted, all his hopes shattered as he stared up at the bright lights from his back.
Their trajectories have since been very different, but Prescott will always have that night he demolished the ‘King’. Talk of rematches came and went, but ultimately what Khan really needed was to learn a lesson. The tag of “weak chin” followed him around and Khan switched to train under Freddie Roach, hoping to mask that with improved defence. Though he was a fast and solid puncher, that would always be a chink in his armour. He made the necessary improvements, though, and got right back to taking on tough opposition.
Though Khan’s offering of, “I’ve proved I have one of the best chins in boxing,” might be a little bit too far, after a solid win over KO specialist Marcos Maidana, he definitely showed that he can take the digs and keep moving forward. He would be better off not doing, but he can. He put together eight straight wins following the Prescott defeat, and that streak also included Zab Judah, Paulie Malignaggi and Dmitriy Salita, WBA, WBO and IBF titles, and four emphatic finishes.
Though Khan had clearly advanced and managed to keep the doubters quiet, he slipped up again, with Lamont Peterson eeking out a split decision in somewhat controversial circumstances. The nature of the fight was close, there were comments made on the officiating, and even Peterson failed drugs tests. Khan eventually got his title back after the whole affair when Peterson was banned, but he could not get the win back. It was a stumbling block that not many expected. Peers had thought he would slide by with reasonable ease, but it wasn’t the case.
Most punishingly, after the Peterson fight he was right back into the fire. The heavy hands of Danny Garcia were enough to compound his woes and set him back even further, and the talk of his punch resistance came into play once again. Khan had the heart to keep trudging forward after getting relentlessly tagged but his body could barely keep him up. Garcia is still undefeated at 29-0 some five fights on and WBC, WBA and Ring world champion. So, Khan wasn’t losing to low-level opposition, but it was still a worry. There are not many of the greatest boxers in history with back-to-back losses at that age before it had caught up with them. It would be an uphill battle for Khan to get the recognition he wanted.
Fast forward to the present day, and Khan is now on a four-fight winning streak against some tough opposition, and he holds the WBA International and WBC Silver welterweight titles. He was particularly impressive in his last outing and certain circumstances have meant his name is in and amongst the biggest in the game. In defeating Devon Alexander he looked as fast and slick as he ever has, with comfortable scorecards of 119-109, 118-110, 120-108. A move to train with Virgil Hunter might not have brought out new areas to Khan’s game, but he was certainly sharper with the things he’s always done well; throwing punishing combinations with fast hands.
The nature of the victory immediately put Khan right up there and entered his name into discussions only he himself had previously vocalised. Now with the WBC Silver welterweight title in his grasps as well as the WBA International variant, he was bringing something to the table. The English fighter was eagerly calling out Floyd Mayweather, looking to get himself a piece of that pie. He is insistent that he deserves the shot after four straight wins. “I’ve proven myself in many ways,” he said. “Mayweather wanted me to prove myself which I did.”
Photo via SO Max O on Flickr
Kahn hasn’t stopped short of goading the undefeated ‘Pretty Boy’ Floyd either, claiming that Mayweather will never be a legend because “he is on the run”. That is not the first time the charge has been aimed at him, with Khan reiterating that the true greats always took on all comers. There are more sought-after fights for Mayweather, but the marketing push for Khan could be a good one for pay-per-views – of course the “Money” moniker didn’t come from thin air. Betfair have Khan vs. Mayweather odds up so the movement in the markets and anticipation is already there for an encounter. Interestingly Khan is 2/1, slightly better odds than they are giving Manny Pacquiao (11/4) if he was to face Mayweather, despite his higher ranking.
It looked like Khan would be waiting his turn and staying in line until Pacquiao had his long-awaited chance to climb in the ring with Mayweather. But discussions have all but come to a halt there and now the biggest possible matchup in boxing might have gone awry once again. Former training partners Khan and Pacquiao both seem keen to get it on if Floyd cannot make up his mind, or if he chooses a different route. Bob Arum had confirmed a late May date was in the running for them to meet up, with Las Vegas, New York, London, and even Abu Dhabi potential sites.
It is hard to talk with any degree of certainty about the fights at the moment, with every side trying to point score in the media to get their own way, and ultimately Mayweather likely to go with the easiest route to the biggest pay day. Miguel Cotto could be getting a rematch in a bolt from the blue; a fight that was never really on the agenda but is now a frontrunner.
Outside of the top two in Mayweather and Pacquiao, there are other voices making themselves heard to add some further twists and turns to the discussions. Kell Brook has also been vocal in his calls for a huge domestic clash with Khan. Though Khan is looking skywards, you cannot argue that is not now a relevant fight for him. Yorkshire’s Brook is 33-0 and has the IBF welterweight title. He defeated Shawn Porter in August and that edged him ahead of Khan in terms of rankings in the eyes of most insiders. However, ‘Special K’ has not had the same amount of marquee fights against elite opposition as Khan.
Should the pair get it on, it would be the biggest domestic fight in a lot of years. Carl Froch versus George Groves was hugely successful, but you would anticipate Khan versus Brook would be even more monumental. Eddie Hearn said he “was not too optimistic” about that fight happening any time soon and was searching for other options for the Sheffield man. Brook has to get by a mandatory challenger in Jo Jo Dan in his hometown in March, but that would leave some logistical problems for the pair to duke it out in the summer, with Khan needing to compete before Ramadan in mid-June.
As always, money talks. If that fight cannot happen, Hearn expects another huge contender for his man, but nothing would stoke the fires of the UK boxing community like an All-British clash and a War of the Roses. But only one side of the equation seems sold on the prospect of that one. Khan is well within his rights to try his luck with the bigger international stars; he has the C.V. to deserve it. “I don’t want to miss my chance against Floyd or Manny,” he admitted. “If I fight Brook they might have retired and that is why I am focusing on the big fights.”
The not-so-subtle hints were for Brook to back off whilst Khan looks elsewhere, and who can blame him? Brook was not so easily pleased by the comments, though, and fired back by saying that Khan had to wait in line to fight the greats. “He has to go through me first,” Brook asserted, referring to his clean slate whilst Khan has the three losses on his record.
Despite the current back and forth and Khan’s reluctance, it looks an almost certainty for the future. Depending on who Khan gets next and whether both men can come through the next few months unscathed, it would be even bigger down the line and with more silverware to fight for. Boxers will always talk with their mouths, but they will speak the loudest when they do it with their fists.
Things are still up in the air, with confirmation expected in the coming days and weeks. Every opportunity in front of Khan looks set to be a huge one, albeit in different ways. It will be intriguing to see how the story plays out and where the 28-year-old ends up when the chips have fallen following the ongoing rounds of boxing politics in which the business side of things are thrashed out.
