Boxing News – Roach sees Hatton Going after Khan Next
July 5th, 2009
By William Mackay: Trainer Freddie Roach believes that Ricky Hatton will be looking to line up a fight with Amir Khan (20-1, 15 KO’s) next if Amir defeats World Boxing Association (WBA) light welterweight champion Andriy Kotelnik (31-2, 13 KO’s) in their July 18th fight, according to Sky Sports.
However, it still comes down to Khan, 22, needing to beat Kotelnik on July 18th, because if Amir loses to the Ukrainian light welterweight champion, then all interest in a Khan-Hatton fight would be pretty much lost. Roach believes that Hatton is interested in the WBA title, and if Khan can’t win the fight, then Hatton might look elsewhere for a bout.
Khan has a huge obstacle in front of him in facing the 31-year-old Kotelnik, who has faced much better competition in his career than Khan. Kotelnik has faced Marcos Maidana, Mohamed Abdulaev, Souleymane M’baye, Gavin Rees and Junior Witter, winning three of the fights and losing two of them to M’baye and Witter by a narrow margin.
In contrast, Khan has faced a 35-year-old Marco Antonio Barrera and Breidis Prescott, losing to the Colombian Prescott by 1st round knockout. The other opponents on Khan’s record have been weak, the kind served up for fighters trying to build their skills.
Facing Kotelnik at this point in Khan’s career will be a huge risk because aside from the sparring that Khan has occasionally done with Manny Pacquiao, he hasn’t been in the ring with a fighter in the class of Kotelnik. With the potential of facing Hatton in the near future now a consideration, Khan has a lot of pressure on him going into his fight with Kotelnik. If Khan loses this fight, then a big money fight with Hatton will be out of the question, as well other potential big money fights with other opponents.
Hatton, 30, needs a big win right now to get his career back on track after his humbling 2nd round knockout loss to Manny Pacquiao on May 2nd. With few big named fighters in the light welterweight division for Hatton to fight, his best option available to him is a fight against the 22-year-old Khan. Other opponents like Maidana, Junior Witter, Timothy Bradley, Michael Katsidis and Kendall Holt are probably much too dangerous for Hatton to fight at this point and he’d make a lot less money in facing them.
What makes Khan so perfect, other than his popularity, is his vulnerability as a fighter. Khan has been hurt in several of his bouts by weak punchers and knocked out by the one big puncher he’s faced. Hatton may not be the same fighter he once was back in 2005, but he probably can punch with the same kind of power than Prescott possesses and if he can hit Khan with anything there’s a good chance that Hatton will be able to take him out early without having to get his own chin tested.
Tags: 15 Responses to “Boxing News – Roach sees Hatton Going after Khan Next”
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KHAN OLDHAM IS BEHIND YOU KILL HATTON IN HIS HOME TOWN
hatton come out you bitch and fight khan i an white from bolton payed to much to see ricky fight over the years. khan trains like a champ for his people where as ricky dosent
Boxing is a business indeed, and Warren knows that Hatton fighting his boy Khan is high-risk and will do everything he can to protect Khan. We all know what happened in the Khan-Prescott fight, and Breidis was a relative nobody then. It is in Warren’s best interest to keep Khan’s record from being tarnished any further.
The fight will happen, but the fight happening soon after Khan’s title match is unlikely.
tbonenyc. because boxing is a business and that is best moneywise for both fighters and promoters. there.
It’s funny how Hatton just got his ass handed to him,but yet there talking of Hatton fighting Khan next.
What i dont understand is if Khan wins his next bout then he will have the WBA light welter weight title.
How on earth does Hatton get a shot at a title his very next fight after losing to pac in two(K.O.).
I love boxing but there’s just stuff like this going on that gets to me.I mean shit! shouldn’t Hatton have to fight atleast one dame fight thats non title first?and win!
Well Hatton has some opinion in fighting like Steve Forbes would be good and even the winner of the Khan vs. Kotelnik would be good but the fight is When Zab beats Matthew with easy then a Fight between to Former Champion should happen. Zab Judah vs. Ricky Hatton.
Frank Warren doesn’t want to see his kid (amir) get beaten by Hatton has there is a “bad feeling” between them. I think Warren knows Hatton would win and therefore leaving Khan with no marque value.
On the article…Hatton would not be fighting to get his career back on track, but it would be a farewell fight. I’m a huge fan of Ricky and i dont want to see him fight ever again, that was a bad looking knockout
This is a difficult one.
Khan has got power potential but has a glass jaw.
Hatton is a great fighter but has had one too many now. I would hate to see such a nice guy like Hatton take the fight and loose and see the media trash him like he is a 2 bit bum. Even if he won, Khan isnt exactly world class material at the moment and if Hatton clocked him hard enough, he will more than likely knock him out.
Is it worth Hatton putting himself in the firing line at this stage in his career? Nobody knows excaept him.
Ben, thats probably the best comment ive ever read on hatton and khan. It is a huge fight, Hatton has a massive fan base, bigger than khan ever will.
Although the only reason he has such a fan base is warren. he gave hatton all the illusional ideas that portray him as a working class hero.
All non boxing fans think he has a fry up before a fight etc, does he bullocks, no1 in their right mind would. all this stuff promotes him as a ‘different’ fighter and he has warren to thank for that.
frank warren is a bitter man and will not want to give his former fighter the payday, it’s just too big a risk for him to put khan’s career (& many warren paydays) on the line against the hitman when ricky couldn’t drop the promoter quick enough after winning a proper world title.
willy limond is not a proper ‘worldchamp’. wbu title doen’t count.
This fight could happen.
I dont see any reason why Frank Warren would try to stop it. Its the most profitable fight Khan is most likely ever going to get.
He could make Khan a super star… Khan could win 5 world titles, but hes never going to come across an opponent with the fan base of ricky hatton.
Its the biggest fight out there for both fighters. More people in the UK would pay to see Khan vs Hatton… than Hatton vs Mayweather 2.
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One comment i have to make about this article is that amir khan fought and beat willy limond. Who is now a world champion.
So hes beaten a world champion. And then lost to Prescott who is a big puncher. Khan was caught cold. He made basic mistakes.
I honestly think if there was a rematch, khan would wipe the floor with the guy. The only things that could stop him are… 1. fear / mental scares by been knocked out in the first fight. 2. Been caught with some huge shots (could happen to anybody).
hmmmm, this is not good.
warren will price khan out of it.
frank warren will never allow it.
This fight will happen. but purely for money.