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The Best & Worst Of Amir
Khan
Amir "King" Khan is in the hunt for boxing's biggest names,
the "Mayweather's and Pacquiao's" of the world
by his own
admission. Staring down the wrong end of a two-fight losing
streak, Khan was in a much different position not so long
ago. Back-to-back losses in 2012 had him relegated as a
'nearly man' whose chin couldn't carry him through the
elite. Since that Khan has compiled some good names in some
thrilling performances, seemingly using the defeats as fuel
for the fire.
In a game as fickle as boxing it only take a single notch in
the loss column for people to write you off for good. Khan's
tenacity has brought his name back into the picture, but
it's it's not clear whether he will ever reach the upper
echelons despite his name coming into the frame with Floyd
Mayweather and the like. A bout and unlikely victory over
Pretty Boy Floyd would be a guaranteed short cut to cement
himself a slot in the Boxing Hall of Fame, but how does Khan
stand so far and how feasible is that?
While there is always a certain amount of subjectivity in
discussions like this, you can't argue with that statistics.
We'll keep an eye on both sides of the coin as we look at
the best and worst of Khan to pre-empt the discussions that
will rage for years to come.
Best: Olympics silver medal
I'm sure Khan will no doubt still feel aggrieved that he
couldn't get by Cuban rival Mario Kindelan in the Sydney
2004 final, especially after finally getting one over on
Kindelan in his final amateur fight. It was the Olympics
that mattered, and there's a huge chasm between gold and
silver. However, it was that silver that first endeared
Khan to much of the British public and made them aware
of his talent, setting the stage for an illustrious pro
career. The 30-22 loss in August of '04 was Khan's
second to his adversary, but at just seventeen he showed
glimpses of the attacking force that really came to bear
in the pro ranks. No doubt it helped mould him and
forced him to evolve even at that young age.
Worst: A woeful Box Office debut
At 18-0, a confident Amir Khan was hitting the PPV
heights for the first time in his career against Breidis
Prescott. Prescott was a heavy hitter and many questions
had been asked about Khan's chin - he was knocked down
in his previous fight by a much smaller Michael Gomez -
but new coach Jorge Rubio was confident that his man had
the tools to do the job. The MEN was booked, Sky Box
Office had the rights, and it was the big coming out
party for the former Olympian.
It couldn't have gone worse. Khan was hurt by a jab
early, and Prescott was sitting on the shots in menacing
fashion. A solid left had Khan doing the chicken dance,
and a right hand, left hook combo drilled him to the
mat. Even from the first knockdown things looked hairy
for the Boltoner. As the cash cow wobbled around the
ring, the referee let him continue but it wouldn't be
for long. Wicked overhand rights and left hooks piled in
Khan's direction and that was that. In his first PPV
stint in a local arena, Amir Khan was knocked out in
under a minute. Fans were scorned, media questioned his
career, and he had a long way to go to claw it back.
Prescott has gone on to post a 7-6 record since that
fight, not giving much credence to the defeat.
Best: Post-Prescott streak
To Khan's credit, he hardly took a backwards step
following the loss to Prescott and the widespread
questioning of his ability to take a punch. In this game
that's somewhat crucial, and pundits were quick to write
him off. Though a win over Oisin Fagan was just a
formality, Khan then went on to face some of the biggest
names in the sport and posted eight straight victories
whilst doing so.
Khan met Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera at the MEN
Arena. Though Barrera was coming out of his prime and
waning, he was still no pushover for any man. Two years
earlier he had gone the distance with Juan Manuel
Marquez and Manny Pacquiao, though it seems a long
career was catching up on him. Khan was able to get the
win via technical decision, the merits of which can be
debated but it was clear that Khan was winning the fight
up until it ended in the fifth.
He moved up to light-welterweight and picked up some
silverware, defeating Andreas Kotelnik in a lopsided
decision, and finishing Dmitry Salita in the first
round. Those were enough to get him in the mix
internationally. He finished Paulie Malignaggi in the
eleventh round in New York, and then faced his fears
against a real puncher in Marcos Maidana. Many expected
Khan to struggle with Maidana having 27 knockouts in his
29 victories at that point. Khan dropped Maidana early
and was only really in trouble after a big flurry in the
tenth. His defence had improved and his chin passed the
test.
Khan then got past Paul McCloskey with another technical
decision, and followed it by picking up another big
scalp in Zab Judah. Judah, a former undisputed world
champion, wasn't at his best but he had won five
straight bouts, three inside the distance. With his list
of championships belts, he was a relevant fight and
still a step in the right direction for Khan, who quite
comfortably dispatched him in the fifth after winning
the first four rounds. A hard right to the body did the
job. Judah complained stating that the punch was
low, but his efforts were fruitless as video showed Khan
caught him in a legal spot.
Worst: Lose close then lose big
With the scalps of Judah, Barrera, Maidana and
Malignaggi now on his resume, it looked like Khan had
turned his fortunes around. He'd managed to mostly prove
the doubters wrong with regards to his punch resistance
whilst also improving his defensive skills with new
coach Freddie Roach. 26-1 with that single blip, maybe
it was just a fluke after all, and flukes in the squared
circle can unfortunately lead to unconsciousness. It
happens. Boxing is a fairly unforgiving endeavor. After
recently acquiring the IBF light-welterweight title to
add to his WBA light-welterweight strap, mandatory
challenger Lamont Peterson was due his shot and that
would be the next outing.
Travelling to Peterson's hometown, Khan certainly wasn't
afforded any favours. The fight itself was a close,
hard-fought battle. The decision left some questions
unanswered and a sour taste in the mouth. Khan was twice
penalized with points for what are usually minor
infringements with nothing more than a warning. Not only
that, but there was a campaign following some judging
discrepancies and the WBA ultimately ordered a rematch,
though the result stood. Peterson tested positive for
synthetic testosterone before they could do the dance
for a second time and it never materialized.
Despite the malaise following the Peterson bout, Khan
returned as favourite against undefeated Danny Garcia for
the WBC title. Boxing betting sites had Khan well ahead
in the odds, but he hadn't subscribed to their
memos. Garcia had just beaten the legendary Erik Morales
to go 23-0. As the bout started Khan looked in control.
His speed and accuracy was on point; it was all going to
plan. A big left hook from Garcia in the third sent
everything spiraling downwards though. Khan's rigid
body fell to the mat, only to wake up on arrival. He got
back up, stumbled around and was exceedingly lucky that
the bell saved him.
Garcia came out firing in the fourth and put Khan down
ever so briefly early on. Just as Khan seemed to be
finding his feet later in the round though, Garcia
flashed away with a looping left hook the caught the top
of Khan's head and sent him down again. He got up and
some more stumbling ensued, only this time the referee
wouldn't let a protesting Khan continue and waved off
the fight. The talk was back - his jaw wasn't made of
stern enough stuff to hang with the best. Garcia has
kept his unbeaten record alive since.
Best: How hard you can get hit and keep moving forward
Naseem Hamed retired after his first loss, many other
fighters have never been the same and slumped to
obscurity or never re-found their original form. With
the highest of credit to Amir Khan, he has come back
from defeats with steely determination and vigor and he
has always improved. Those back-to-back losses at the
hands of Peterson and Garcia could have been the death
knell for his career at the highest level but he has
found a way back. He teamed up with Virgil Hunter and
got back to action straight away, taking on 17-0 Carlos
Molina in LA.
In short, Molina was outclassed, taking too big of a
step up and he never really had anything to offer Khan
on the night. Khan looked sharp and confident, brutally
punching his way to a tenth round stoppage after
Molina's corner decided enough was enough (several
rounds later than his brain cells would have liked).
Khan's bravado seeped out, and he claimed he'd KO Garcia
- who was in the crowd - if they met again, despite the
ultimately emphatic defeat.
Khan came back to the UK and topped the bill in
Sheffield against a game Julio Diaz. It was
back-and-forth and tight knit, with Khan down in the
fourth, but again he showed his durability to get back
up and solider on, showing that his heart was there even
when his chin hadn't turned up. It was the start of his
move up to welterweight, which would be the real litmus
test on his defensive mechanisms.
Luis Collazo would be his next matchup and his welcome
at 147lbs. He'd just dispatched Victor Ortiz and was no
slouch. With that said, Khan boxed a world class
performance, comfortably taking a one-sided decision
after sending Collazo to the mat several times. He was
slick, fast and clinical, and it gave him the
opportunity to call out a headlining Floyd Mayweather.
Khan further cemented his push for the champ by putting
on arguably a career best performance against Devon
Alexander, the former WBC and IBF title holder. The
119-109, 118-110 and 120-108 scorelines accurately reflect the dominance from Khan. Sharpness and speed
were the order of the day, and this led to even more
legitimized claims to take on Floyd Mayweather.
Undecided: The future
Just when we think we're seeing Amir Khan on the route
to greatness, a glove lands on his chin and sets him
back. Even the most
experienced bettors would be
reserved in giving odds for "King" against the likes of
Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Of course Khan backs
himself in those circumstances, but an unfaltering
confidence is needed in this sports where fists and
money are exchanged in high volume.
Kell Brook could also be on the agenda in a big money
domestic superfight, and one that could also help to
solidify Khan's status as one of the best. He has
legendary names on his resume, but not at their peak.
That's enough for detractors to not grant him the elite
status. He does appear to move better and hit faster
with each outing and the progression is compelling.
Until he gets that real marquee win though, we'll always
be asking the question of whether he can, or will, be a
boxing great.
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