Amir Khan…appreciate him
December 17th, 2009
By Liam Brindle: It doesn’t seem long ago World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Amir Khan was slumped in the corner with his head propped against the ring post wondering where he was whilst Breidis Prescott was bouncing around the ring in absolute ecstasy. Now just 18 short months on Amir Khan has had 4 fights, boxed for 20 rounds and not lost a single round, whilst Breidis Prescott has fought 3, lost 2 and won 1.
We all know that a lot of the recent success of Amir has been down to the fact that he is now trained by Freddie Roach, who lets face it is a boxing genius. From first getting Khan Freddie said ‘He is too big up top…we need to take some of that muscle off his back and build up his legs to increase his foot speed’ and also taking up a weight which at the time seemed crazy but again was a stroke of genius.
Can you really blame team Khan for not wanting their man to get in the ring with a big puncher after being knocked out in under a minute when surely another big KO against your name within a year would spell the end?
Can you blame them for not wanting him to climb into the ring with the likes of: Zab Judah, Maidana, Ortiz, Bradley right away?
In my humble opinion team Khan are developing their man at a perfect rate getting fights that are potentially tough but are very winnable and also ones that can enhance his reputation (Barrera).
In his last fight Amir was up against an unbeaten man who at 27 was either in or very near his prime… a day before the fight I came on this site and their was an article about how Khan would get boxed to pieces and his face would be a mess, there where people commenting on the article agreeing, what happened? Amir was too fast and far to strong for an unbeaten man who attempted to cower in the corner because he knew he had nowhere to go.
The very next day I came on the site and people where saying ‘Salita is poor… Amir takes easy fights’ it just seems to me he cannot win unless he beats Mayweather and Pacquiao at the same time.
Amir Khan turned 23 a couple of days after the Salita fight which means he was 22 and was defending a world championship which is incredible and should be applauded.
I know Khan has been very vocal about the racism against him in the UK, I live in a town in the North West of England which is very close to where Amir Khan lives…so you would guess he has a lot of support right? Wrong! I have been in pubs watching him fight where people have been jumping around hugging each other when they see this very young talented fighter get put on the canvas, pointing at the screen coming out with all kinds of racist slurs, which I find absolutely disgraceful.
I now don’t watch the Khan fights in the pub as I get abuse when I cheer him I would rather stay at home with friends and pay £15.
Amir has staggering hand speed, in sparring they say he can throw 5 shots per second, he has power, his foot work is improving and his all round ring skills are improving with every fight.
I think we should all get behind this good (in my opinion will be great) Champion and enjoy what he has to offer.
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Absolutely excellent article, I applaud you for this. For once it seems that what the true boxing fans think has been published. We should get behind our Englishman, who spills blood for our country, (look how proud the yanks are of their fighters, regardless of colour). Amir is not just fighting fighters, but the racists too. I as an Englishman cannot wait for him to develop into the top prospect he is, unify the titles, and shutup all the naysayers/racists/bums for good. Keep up the good work amir, the people of Slough are in your corner!
give him time. hes 22 and doesn’t need prove nothing to anyone. hes made millions all ready, hes a world champion all ready, he has the best trainer in the world so why would he need rush things, i cant believe theres so many haters out there. he and his team have all said that he is still not ready and still has alot to learn. If he is this good now can you imagine how good he could be in a few years time when he has spent even more time with roach. DONT HATE THE PLAYER HATE THE GAME
khan got rocked off non puncher kotelnick behind his gaurd as well he he
kp : Are you talking about the same Maidana who was out boxed by a certain Mr Kotelnik??
sorry didnt attach article
http://www.boxingnews24.com/2009/12/roach-sees-khan-malignaggi-as-feasible-fight/
khan is a joke..appreciate him for what…fooling the public by fighting non punchers, old men and smaller men consistently.
Why choose Pauli mallinaggi, the guy could not knock anyone out with a hammer. Khan was supposed to fight Maidana next, not a great boxer but he can punch. That was the reason he got salita. It was part of the stipulation, yet now he wants mallinaggi instead. this author liam doesnot have a clue about boxing. Salita, in his prime and a good contender pmsl. Have you ever seen salita fight, he was on the Calzaghe indercars fighting an unknown club fighter who was a featherweight and couldnt deal with him properly. Khan is a BS artist, claims he s hanging on to his belt and avoids everyone. Then we hear the excuses, hes too young, well hes older than AAlexander and he is up for fighting any of the top 10. Khans next fight should be with his mum. If she has her handbag, she poses more of a threat than mallinaggi. The article belwo sums it all up yet again, but khans fans are girls and boxing novices, no idea of the qulaity or lack of, of his opponents.
john e they want the truth they cant handle the truth
To all you Khan admirers put your real first or second name down!!and show why you support him,me i follow the best out there black white brown what ever religion they are, the only thing i won’t to see is the best in with best!!!not a stage manage protected boxer!! fed weak light punching or over the hill fighters,and yes he’s a millionaire from stepping over the domestic fighters and then the easiest route to a world championship, he’s a arrogant mouthy accident waiting to happen and you lot calling people haters only because they call him for what he is King Kon Khan
mark ur a wrong, How can you say what has he proved, He’s a world champion, hes a millionaire, hes got the best trainer in the world, he has a massive fan base, HES ONLY 23 YEARS OLD but has acheived this cos hes gifted and has a good team. You can only be as good as your team. if you have a good team you have a better chance on succeding. Khan doesn’t need to worry about his haters, he doesnt have to rush to please the haters because you guys dont put money in his pocket, he is 23 and eventually when his team feel he is ready he will fight the best P4P fighters but there is no need to rush him just because theres a few haters that want him to fail. He is still learning. WHEN WILL FROCH FINIALLY GET EXPOSED.
Amen ATA.
Just dont forget that KHAN is WBA champ, picking or not he is the champ
Dan you must not know alot about boxing to suggest such reports. Boxings a buisiness, and you opinion is a needle in a haystack im afraid.
If Khan wants to be considered world class, he has to stop selecting opponents based on their low KO record, because that won’t impress anyone, not even casual fans. To vacate a title to avoid fighting a puncher is worse than losing with honour.
I have no respect for Khan or Warren, to be honest. Cherry picking does not command respect, it just ruins the sport.
The fight would test khans ability, and of course its a fight that would allow Khan to continue his fantastic delevopment and utilise the skills his learning against a good boxing opponent. The boxing public will continue to gamon onslaughts to khan. It part of boxing life.
The fight would test khans ability, and of course its a fight that would allow Khan to continue his fantastic delevopment and utilise the skills his learning against a good boxing opponent. The boxing public will continue to gamon onslaughts to khan. It part of boxing life. The fact is his world champion. its warrens fault his world champion, you cant dodge opponents anymore with a world title under your belt. Maybe it was a mistake to allow him to fight kotelnic, yes he dominated the fight but incresed expectations in the same breath. So far, the move by warren could lead to tears, or we could have the next Ali or tyson on our hands.
Amir vs. Zab is going to be a great fight to see.
Amir is the paper champ and Zab is a former 2-time elite
Champ. Amir wants to be a elite fighter, well by beating Zab you might be on top of your game.
mark ur a wrong, How can you say what has he proved, He’s a world champion, hes a millionaire, hes got the best trainer in the world, he has a massive fan base, HES ONLY 23 YEARS OLD but has acheived this cos hes gifted and has a good team. You can only be as good as your team. if you have a good team you have a better chance on succeding. Khan doesn’t need to worry about his haters, he doesnt have to rush to please the haters because you guys dont put money in his pocket, he is 23 and eventually when his team feel he is ready he will fight the best P4P fighters but there is no need to rush him just because theres a few haters that want him to fail. He is still learning. WHEN WILL FROCH FINIALLY GET EXPOSED.
If you understud the priciples of boxing ashishwarrior, you would understand that the term ‘chin’ in boxing is of stereotype, it doesnt exist. Clearly not that much of a boxing follower are we?
haye you from the same breed as khan welcome to the club of no chins although i rate haye and until king khon proves other wise ssssshhhhhhhhhh
Too many haters, how can we prove it, if all these folks did not like him for the reasons they claim, they would not spend so much time writing against him! Change the channel.
Khan has a tough division and he will fight all the best fighters, as he goes along, development takes time, who was Rick Hatton at 22 who was Calzague at 22 and who hell was Froach at 22…… so let’s keep it in context.
Judge the lad when he is 25 and has had about 30 fights, at the moment he is up and coming.
Angel, you’re holds no concrete. Khan must try to avoid these passing vehicles that are opponents with less than credible onslaughts. It makes no sense for Khan to congregate challenges that don’t provide enough gammon arsenal.
most people thought salita was rubbish before salita v khan. you could see he wasnt very good from the clips of his fights, he looked awful.
khan v malignaggi sounds about right, because he is a safe bet and then we’ll all be told to get behind him, he’s a hero when he wins. but what’s there to get behind, he’s overhyped right now, lets see him in a real fight, he’ll be flat on his behind. p4p best, what a joke.
jolz : Because my name is Liam Brindle and there is another writer called Liam Santiago that makes us the same person?
Hmmmmm you sound like an intelligent person… im sure the police could do with you in the force no crime would go unturned.
What an absolute moron!!!
lets see who he fights next guys if its bradley then good luck amir and if kahn wins then i think he deserves respect but if he fights a b class fighter he wont prove anything
I, as well as many other people here in Vancouver SugarRays Boxing gym appreciate Khan, he is more than just a “tough” fighter, his work ethic and dedication with Roach has made him more dangerous than ever.
He went in with one of the best fighters Dimitri Salita who was UNDEFEATED, not to mention early in the fight . .
Forget all your doubts about him, he is on his way to being one of the best Pound for Pound in the world.
kabs…shut up moron lol…..
Khan is awesome, such a talent.
Unfortunately the UK has alot of this ‘gayfoid’ esque attitudes going around, but he shouldn’t let it get him down, he famous rich in doing a job he loves, not many people can say that.
Big article and called it down the line..spot on about the pub bit!!
Stop yakking on he’s only 22 he,s 23 and has dodge half the domestic fighters and a couple of one he did fight put him on his backside,his career has been stage manage with cherry picked fights with little risk while he gobs off at being a legend!!!and even now they are burning the midnight oil on which fights poses the least risk!! take a leaf out of Tyson’s book come one come all instead of fighting weak over the hill patsies.
come on now! he’s only 22.
I have to say i was never a khan fan, the pre prescott khan made me cringe esp the footwork, terrible!
However, being an amateur myself i can say that when your opponent looks weak getting back up after a knockdown,pre prescott khan wouldve gone with flurries, but the post roach khan well, he controlled himself and picked his shots…now i have no doubt in my mind this guy will go on to be great…5 years p4p …i was the first to say it!!
fair enough assiswarrior, lets see if he takes on maidana, diaz, malianaggi, peterson, hatton next year.
I was never a pre prescott khan fan, his feet movement were laughable at times all he had going for him were his super quick hands. I used to train ages ago and one thing i know for a fact when you knock down your opponent and see him get back up looking weak thats like a shark smelling blud…i.e. in other words you would go gung ho on him…but khan still picked his shots against salita… thts freddie roach pre prescott khan would have never done that… there is a bright future for him
Liam,
Let me say, I am American, and the main reason that Amir Khan catches flack on this site is because there’s a lot of Anti-British rhetoric from different writing hacks(for instance, anybody who said Salita would butcher Khan’s face is an idiot). Do I think Amir is talented? Yes. Do I think he’s great at this point? No. Can he be? Sure. But as Mark has said quite well before me, it’s hard to get behind someone who takes on B or C level fighters whose being pomped up as some kind of superstar. Timothy Bradley may not have beaten huge names when he was 22, but there weren’t 100s of articles letting us know how great he is after every C-level fight.
Bruno,
Other then Tommy Hearns, what Boxing Legend do you know who didn’t have a chin? Hearns had extraordinary skills and punching power which allowed him to become a legend inspite of his chin. Unfortunately, Khan is no Tommy Hearns.
Mark- top comment!
Now it annoys me when ppl say khan is a techically gifted boxer…show me some evidence then. If this were the case then surely he wouldnt have needed to desparatly search the boxing world for the most elite trainer that money can buy… and he sacked two trainers before that.
Basically Khan is successful because the powers behind him want him to be…he is a celebrity product if u will. There are other fighters in this country who could have done great things had they been given the financial backing, and oppertunities that khan has been given.
So stop forcing it on ppl that this kid is great…real boxing fans dont buy it and in any case we will see for ourselves when hes put into a fight which isnt an obvious foregone conclusion. And when this happens my bet is that we will all see finally that amir khan is quite average…hate to say it but like most british hyped up fighters
Liam,
The reason Khan gets bad press on here is because he was knocked out in the first round by a second tier fighter, yet the media speaks of him as if he’s another Pacman.
I’m not saying Khan doesn’t have a bright future. However, he needs to beat someone like Bradley before he gets the appreciation of true boxing fans.
I have followed Khan through his career and think he will become a legend. He has dedication.
khan as been bombed out big time,some fighters are never the same wen that happens but khan brushed himself down got roach as his trainer and went on and won a world title.ok against the weaker title holder,but warren made a mistake once and he is not going to do it again soon.but boxing is about having a good team around you and khan as got that like it or not.
kelly no but he as the heart of a lion and will fight anyone anywhere anytime can the same be said for king khon king lofl
khan is 23 he as been ko,d big time.he as brushed himself down come back and won a world title.ok against a weaker champion,frank warren is not going to make that mistake again strate away.i dont pay to watch khan until he starts fighting the elite,but at the same time why do i want him to lose i dont.i to love fighters who take on all comers,but boxing is about being managed rite and khan has got a good team behind him like it or not
wel ya no they dnt put people into a ring if they cant fight think about it that way. gve amir khan a chance he is tryin to prove emslf bt ppl are js putin em dwn alot like froch. he has a cheek ta talk really bcoz e nt brillant at boxing.
im bored.com:
‘Kotelnik won at least 4/5 against him’
judge: Juan Manuel Garcia Reyes 120-108
The other 2 had Khan winning 118-111 giving Kotelnik 1 round.
‘Barrera won a couple until |Khan blinded him with his huge big head’
How did he win a couple of rounds before the cut when it was in the first round??????????
John Coyle 50-44, The other 2 gave Khan 1 round which was very generous
Khan could easy blow Hatton away, Bradley would be overwhelmed and knocked out and Khan is capable of doing this to anyone. But he is 22 years of age…
I cannot believe people are saying “I prefer legends and warriors..” – give the guy a chance. Only in the last few years has Pacquiao really hit his peak, his chin is actually stronger the higher up the weights he goes.
I think the “hate” for Khan is ridiculous.
Mark you make a really good point…but who had Hatton, Pacquiao, Bradley etc fought when they where 22?
I know he is pushed in our faces a little but all I am saying is…lets give him time and try to support him… we all know he is a technically gifted boxer but he gets a lot of bad press on sites like this one.
Mark, you’r bang on…….
mark your bang on well said i cant put it better myself
I’m sorry, but as a boxing fan I choose to appreciate boxers who deserve it. What has Khan accomplished? Nothing! He is one of those boxers who have powerful people behind him who continually force him down our throats win, lose, or draw.
I prefer to give my appreciation to the true warriors of the sport. Those who are willing to take on all-comers, not those who have to carefully pick their opponents and are handed belts and call themselves champions. Are boxers who have to be protected from hard punchers really champions?
”Not lost a single round”? Thats bollocks.
Kotelnik won at least 4/5 against him. Barrera won a couple until |Khan blinded him with his huge big head.
Fagan, Kotelnik and Salita and old old ‘legends’ dont make him good.
Bradley would take this guy to school, as would Hatton.
Rant over………
are we saying we should do the amir khon route with all good prospects. surely this would and is detrimental to boxing as for race there are plenty of different ethnic backgrounds that like and rate amir khon very highly. do you listen to some of the things he comes out with imo they need to mature his mouth before him as a fighter, but on the other hand the more british champions we have on paper this should bring british boxing to the front stage,but is it not really you all call froch boring but his fights are entertaining khon just keeps on picking from the second rate fighters and those doing the grave yard shift. as for pesscott give him the finacial backing khon as had then we can compare,afterall fair is fair right?