Khan: “I would beat him [Maidana] but I still wouldn’t get recognition”
February 11th, 2010
By William Mackay: World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KO’s) was filled with excuses as to why he’s not facing the knockout artist WBA light welterweight champion Marcos Maidana (27-1, 26 KO”s) next on May 15th, saying in an article at the Sportinglife “Marcos Maidana was the mandatory, but the WBA have said that because it would be two mandatories back to back, they can’t really do that, so they have not put that [Maidana-Khan] as a mandatory fight.”
Khan would be in constant danger against Maidana and would literally be running all fight long to save from being knocked out. I have a lot of faith in Khan’s trainer Freddie Roach, but in this case I seriously doubt he could employ any gimmicks that Khan could use to turn back Maidana. All I can see Roach having Khan do is jab and run.
The only other option besides that is to try and have Khan to selectively mix it up with Maidana, but if Khan does that, there’s a good chance he’ll be knocked out again because Maidana punches too hard. Khan was knocked out in the 1st round by lightweight Breidis Prescott in 2008. Khan hasn’t faced a big puncher since then. He was supposed to be fighting Maidana next, but his new promoters Golden Boy Promotions arranged for Khan to sidestep Maidana for the time being for a fight against the better known Malignaggi.
The theory here is that Khan will get more attention by beating Malignaggi than he will by beating a guy like Maidana. I don’t agree with that. I think most of the fans that tune into the fight will be casual boxing fans and they’ll likely be able to see after the first 30 seconds of action that Malignaggi has no power and is mostly a pot shot fighter.
Those guys are often frustrating to watch for fans. I think Khan would get much more respect if he was to fight Maidana, because he’d be trying to take Khan’s head off all night long and Khan would either have to run for his life or try trade with him. Obviously, Khan would probably opt to run rather than trade because Maidana hits a lot harder than him and Khan’s chin hasn’t been the sturdiest. Khan might stink up the joint if he runs all night long against Maidana, to be sure, but what choice to does he have.
I don’t think the boxing public will suddenly become enamored with Khan if he beats a light puncher like Malignaggi. Even if he does look good against Malignaggi, boxing fans will still be just as turned off when they see Khan face Maidana and either end up running for his life all night long or getting knocked cold. By not fighting Maidana, Khan is putting off what could be either a painful loss or a terrible performance by only one fight. What the point? Any fans that Khan wins in a victory over Malignaggi will be just as turned off as they would be if Khan had faced Maidana first.
Khan says “I wanted to fight [Juan Manuel] Marquez who is a tougher opponent [than Maidana], a bigger name who just fought against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and lost in 12 rounds. But Marquez refused yesterday, so now the ball is in my court. It’s quite hard because after knocking out [Dmitri] Salita, people now recognize me as a tough world champion. There are a few names I want to fight. Also there are fighters like Nate Campbell, Victor Ortiz, maybe even Maidana when he gets a bit bigger name. This game is all about business and it’s about making the right fights at the right time.”
I don’t agree with Khan’s description of how people recognize him as a “tough world champion.” As far as I can tell, a lot of people see Khan as a weak-chinned cherry picker, at least this is what is written about him in the boxing forums. Maybe Khan is talking about fans of his. Salita really wasn’t a good gauge of the talent of Khan, because Salita had never fought a 1st tier fighter because facing Khan.
Also, Khan mentions, Campbell and Ortiz, as potential opponents for him. Ortiz isn’t much better known than Maidana, so I don’t understand how he would be a better option. And Campbell is 37-years-old and has only recently moved up from the lightweight division. And the way that Khan mentions Maidana, saying “maybe even Maidana when he gets a bigger name,” it seems as if Khan might not be facing him anytime soon.
I can’t imagine that the WBA will allow Khan to skip over Maidana for more than one fight without putting their foot down and requesting that he fight him. And Khan speaks of Maidana as if he’s better known than him. He is in England, but in the United States, Khan and Maidana are both unknown fighters. That’s like the pot calling the kettle black. Khan should have said “when we [Khan and Maidana] get a bigger name” not “maybe even Maidana when he gets a bigger name.”
Tags: 30 Responses to “Khan: “I would beat him [Maidana] but I still wouldn’t get recognition””
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@ Cherry any one
Yeah true mate, well said!
This Khan guy is an idiot. Talking trash about a fighter he’s too scared to fight. Sounds like PBF.
Great article, says exactly what I think of Khan, pampered, mollycoddled and hyped his whole career. By the looks of what people are saying, the Maglinaggi fight is probably a walk in the park for Khan, but I hope he has to fight Maidana soon and Maidana knocks Khan out! Kevin Mitchell (30-0-0), has just said he will fight Khan now! Kevin Mitchell recently beat Prescott, the one who KO’d Khan in 54 secs! Khan’s gonna have to do a lot of ducking and diving and carefully picked fights cos there’s a lot of hard hitting fighters just waiting to end his career and show him up for the fraud he really is! Kevin Mitchell is fighting Ignacio Mendoza tonight (12th Feb), and a win could see him on his way to being one of Khan’s worst nightmares! All this Khan selective fights thing has really p”£ssed me off, my faith in Boxing has been restored by the “super six”, Froch, Kessler etc crew! This is the best thing in Boxing for years! Every weight class should do the same, then we’d see Khan eliminated very early on! He’d be on tv’s X-factor, doing his award winning “Chicken Dance”, cleverly choreographed by Breidis Prescott, Hahahha!
being a mallignaggi fan i dont want him to take this fight i dont think he will win, his style is made for khan. khan is a fraud tho and not a real world champion. take on madiana bradley or even ortiz. khan kills boxing by saying ” its a business” take the dangerous exciting fights. khan is the pinnacle of whats wrong with boxing.
Don@london Don’t rise to the bait from WTF He just one of Kon Kan’ts groupies,the only idiots out there are the one’s lining Kon Kan’t pockets by paying to watch Cherry Kon!,apart from them who pay to see him do the funky chicken again like he did when Prescott whacked that Crystal chin.
They say the PROOF in the pudding is in the eating Amir, so go eat Maidana and i for one will gladly give you recognistion as will others..
“weak-chinned cherry picker”… brilliant.
maidanas made a name for himself in the states winning over victor ortiz.
the thing is the prescott loss has scared amir. but its like getting back into a car after a car crash, its scary. its all very well pretending your not scared but he is. he could actually have beaten maidana but the courage is gone. until he faces his fears he’ll always be the fighter that prescott knocked out in 54 seconds flat and that will haunt him forever unless he decides to face up to it
oh and thos who say amir seems arrogant… yeah he really is… I know friends who ahve met him and he really thinks he is the best since sliced bread, not humble at all… I have talked to Joe Calzaghe, David haye…nice folks…this guy=prize pratt
PROVE it Khan you loser…
Khan will beat maidana and malignaggi, wait and see.
thats a mayweather line khans using,in dodging Manny when asked by brian kenny. a typical duckers mouth they all say the same thing.
Khans next three opponents: Barrera, Morales, and Marquez! Ladies and gentlemen we have the next Manny Pacquiao! Khan has seen what cherry-picking opponents has done for Manny so why can’t it do the same for him?
You don’t hear Valero ducking tough guys because of exposer. He’s to GREEN to be picking a chosing oppenents. Any fight in the U.S is going to put you on the map if you are on a legit network. Kahn…you’re with Golden Boy now so if you don’t get the PUB you need either blame GBP or yourself!
Are you kidding me Amir Khan?? lol what a clown tough fighter haahahahahahahaahahahaha… Maybe when Madiana gets a name?? Dimitry Salita is a name??? I feel like i was reading an interview by an actor because nothing he said was real or authentic and it was straight up bs and I don’t know why he has this false sense of entitlement but he shouldn’t… Ortiz? Campbell? Madiana is well known to real boxing fans so don’t try and trick the average fan you bozo Khan becuase fighting Paulie is an absolute joke buddy fight a real fighter and then call yourself “tough” ahahahahah I can’t beleive Amir Khan said those words i’m embarassed for him.
Amir khan needs another bad beating to bring him down a peg or two. Hes a just a kid who bing protected yet he talks like hes floyd mayweather!
Paulie mallignaggi shouldnt be overlokked, he will embaress khan just watch
Tisk tisk . . . Nice read
David….how cant ppl criticise Khan? Khan has something to prove to himself and his fans that he aint scared of fighting a puncher…end of the day mayweather threw marquez a beating and he does need time but marquez has nothing to prove like khan has,,,he is in top 10 p4p and he gave pacman a whooping twice (teah i said it). Khan should do everyone a favour and move back down cause he fights madaina he loses, holt he loses, bradley he loses….
According to Marquez trainer fight with Khan is not right for him because khan is too fast and strong for marquez at this time and Marquez is not fully recovered from may weather fight. If fighter like Marquez is cautious about which fight to take and which to not the whats the point criticising Khan for not taking Maidaina fight. If khan is not ready for that fight whats the big deal in that he will fight him may be at the end of this year or after 1 or 2 more fights. So its all about right fights at right time.
Amere con.
What world chmpion do you know that fights every 90 days. Khans majority fan base which is british do not recognise maidana for loosing to salita more than the ortiz fight (myself not included). Stop being so emotional and think a bit more rational
Khan is scared of Maidana. He shouldn’t be trying to give excuses, it just makes him look even more scared trying to cover his tracks. I think we have found our new cherry picking dodger in Amir Khan.
Khan is so stupid.
Khan has the skill 2 beat maidana easy but havin the skill dose not work if u can not take a punch. Khan will not b able 2 dance round maidana for 12 rounds without gettin hit an it only takes 1 punch. Maidana is not the best boxer outhere as he proved in the kotelnik fight where he lost on a split. where as Khan destroyed kotelnik. The differans between khan an kotelnik fightin maidana is that kotelink can take a punch so he could beat maidana.
I can’t stand when a fighter uses recognition as a reason to not fight another guy. I mean, it’s alright if you are say, P4P #1 with 40+ fights and nothing to prove. But when you are at Khan’s stage in his career, it just sounds more like a cop-out.
i agree with you oli. khan will never fight a good fighter cos he is too scared. as soon gets in the ring with a good fighter his glass jaw is going to break badly.
Amir Khan! Your are starting to be like Mayweather….Shut your mouth and prove it in the ring….Most boxing fans are intelligent they are entertained by pre hype fight fighter like Mayweather but they give merits to guys who dismantles opponents with emphasis….. So please stop doing a Mayweather and just prove it in the ring….
Khan is right about this one. He could beat the nobody Maidana, whos already been beaten once… by a guy khan already beat.
Khan could destroy Maidana and people would just say that maidana was over rated and he never beat anybody who wasnt a B rated american fighter.
Then they would say khan should fight timothy bradley or another american nobody, who khan would probably beat.
Its the best running pantomime in boxing!!!!!!!!!!!! *He’s behind you oh no he’s not*?tough world champion yeah right the only thing tough about Kon Kan’t is trying to get him to fight some one around his own size and age and not a soft option like he’s be fed so far!! apart from Prescott that was the trainer fault saying Prescott would been a good match up but as Prescott was unknown they thought he was an easy fight but they drop a b0ll@ck oh they sack the trainer when Kan’t got splattered *He needs no Man*
why does maidana have to make a bigger name for himself? he wasnt the one who was KO’d in one by a nobody. Khan is nothing yet hes calling all the shots to ppl who have done more than him. Khan if he beat maidana would at least prove hes not a protected fighter if nothing else, but its the fight ppl want to see. Im sick of hearing about the casual fan, the casual fan doesnt follow the sport properly and doesnt have the knowledge that real fans do, so why does boxing continually cater to them?
Khan has showed once again what a joke, coward, fraud and protected a fighter he is. for all the americans who arnt too familiar with him…THIS is why we hate amir khan in the UK. I hope paulie mallignaggi makes him look foolish and embaresses him on his debut. the kid is an arrogant brat, a fraud and always will be a protected fighter. As far as im concerned they have all (maidana, ortiz, mallignaggi, bradley) faced better opposition than khan has, so who does he think he is. hes a joke and will never be a top fighter i will put my house on that. Start listening to the people and take a decent fight for a change, or stop the superstar act you are nothing yet
Excuses Excuses