Could Amir Khan be facing Katsidis on July 31st?
May 27th, 2010
By William Mackay: WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (23-1, 17 KO’s), instead of fighting a light welterweight next, he could be facing a lightweight if his promoter Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions has his way. According to Sportsillustrated.com, Schaefer would like to match Khan against Michael Katsidis next on July 31st to get in one more fight before Ramadan. The grand strategy that Schaefer has is he’d like to match Khan with Katsidis on the same date as the Juan Manuel Marquez fight against Juan Diaz. Khan would be fighting Katsidis in England, while Marquez-Diaz would be taking place in the United States at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Schaefer believes that Khan could emerge from these two fights as a big star in the United States if he wins both of them. What Schaefer doesn’t talk about is the size difference between Khan, Diaz, Marquez and Katsidis. All of those fighters are lightweights and not particularly big ones. Presumably, they would be forced to move up to light welterweight to fight Khan at 140, rather than Khan coming down to lightweight to fight them. That might be asking a lot of these fighters to have to gain weight to fight at light welterweight, you would think.
Diaz has already tried his hand at light welterweight, fighting twice against Paulie Malignaggi, winning one fight and losing the second. Suffice to say, Diaz looked horrible at light welterweight. He was much too small for the weight and not nearly the same fighter at that weight as he is at lightweight. Marquez has fought most of his career at featherweight and only moved up in weight in 2007. He’s not looked nearly as good after moving up to lightweight than he did at featherweight and super featherweight.
And Marquez looked dreadful at welterweight last year when he fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. So I’m assuming Marquez would have to come up in weight too so that Khan could have his fight against him, if he beats Diaz? I don’t know that Marquez would take that fight. His trainer Nacho Beristain already said no to a fight against Khan earlier this year. What makes Schaefer so certain he will say yes now? And Katsidis is only 5’7”, and not really built for the light welterweight division. I’m sure he could do it in a pinch, but I think he would be at a tremendous disadvantage if he was to have to fight the 5’10” Khan.
I think its good match-making by Schaefer if he can pit Khan against a lightweight, but I fail to understand why he would do it. Are they doing that to build up Khan’s reputation the easy way? Why not have Khan fight the best light welterweights? I mean, that is the division he’s currently fighting in and he does hold a title right now. What boxing fans think of Wladimir Klitschko if his promoter was picking out cruiserweights for him to fight while he was building his name?
Even if the cruiserweights had to put on some weight to fight him, they would still be at a huge disadvantage you think. Marcos Maidana, the opponent that Khan was calling out after his recent win over Paulie Malignaggi, has a bad back and probably won’t be able to fight Khan. I can accept that, but why not put Khan in with Ricardo Torres then? I think that would be a much better fight than having Khan matched against lightweights. Torres might knock Khan out, but at least Khan would be fighting a light welterweight who is around his size. I think it’s safe to say that Khan will never fight a guy like Torres and I’m starting to wonder about whether he’ll ever face Maidana as well.
Tags: 46 Responses to “Could Amir Khan be facing Katsidis on July 31st?”
Leave a Reply
please use above banner to link back to us!
Everybody is forgetting he’s not long turned 23.. And has only jus won a world title he needs big names in smaller divisions and smaller names in he’s own division he’s a very very young world champ… When he’s 26 27 and a man then it will be time to take on the elite in he’s division were talkin bout the best fighters on the planet.. How could u exspect a young fighter to be ready 4 that.. Take it next 2 years fighter good fighter not elite and when he’s ready and the oppertuinty comes then let him chase pound 4 pound rankings.. Why trow away a carreer walkin before u can crawl
kon should fight kendall holt nxt in july in england with no ref ready to jumpin stop the fight and hand it to kon on a silver plater, kon soon to get found out yet again the end is nigh kon enjoy the big bank account, its going to have to last you and your family life time your going to have no boxing legacy you wont even be remembered
if its in 2 onths time, its a TUNE up FIGHT SO katsidis is a better opponent….its a rusky fight but he cant fight any elite 140 pounders in 2 months time…to early/…
im a khan supporter, but accept he has alot to prove and has had a easy ride to the top compared to the others, which does seem unfair.
I would like to see khan fight prescott again, but I dont think that will ever happen, unless Prescott can win back a title, and presuming Khan can keep hold of his till then.
I actually think Khans promoters are hoping Prescott gets beaten a few more times and get washed away, and the longer he stays out of the limelight he will eventually get forgotten about.
This will save Khan from having the embarresment of fighting Prescott again and possibly saving himself from a embarrasing knockdown.
Having said that I do think Katsidis has been very underrated by boxing fans, he is actually a bigger test for khan than alexander and maidana, and possibly even bradley.
katsidis is very powerful puncher and would be a huge risk!
Khan is boring ass fighter. He should fight prescott for a rematch to avenge his embarrassing loss. But he won’t do that because he’s scared and knows that prescott and any big puncher in lww has his number. Sad that he’s going to make these lightweights move up to his weight where he has all the advantages. Damm I sick of this joker and his supporters. I hope katsidis can come up with the upset.
Khan is now becoming a joke in boxing.. at least put the lad in with someone his own size and weight..
if khan was as good as SHE thinks SHE is SHE would do anything for a rematch with prescott no one likes khan give us fans MARQUEZ vs KATSIDIS two boxers that have not taken the easy way and have earnt the right to be called CHAMPIONS
This is IMO a silly fight for Amir to take on, I’m a big fan of his…but he’ll get knocked out by the ring savvy, big punching Katsidis and he’ll be back to square 1.
Why is Khan getting criticized for fighting Katsidis?
Khan just fought 3 LWW in his last 3 fights. Katsidis is a big LW anyway. So what if Khan has a reach and height advantage. Is he supposed to fight everyone who’s taller than him? The best LWW are Bradley, Alexander and Maidana and they are all shorter and have less reach.
Katsidis is a bigger puncher than Bradley or Alexander, and can actually pressure Khan unlike Kotelnik or Malignaggi. We can finally see a real test for Khan’s chin since he faced Prescott. Don’t forget Khan has less weeks to prepare for this fight than his usual, so he needs a tune-up fight for a mega clash in November (yeah, that’s how good Khan is… guys like Katsidis are considered tune-up fights) lmao
baby amir khan on the juice hey . . . maybe he should fight manny and then it will be fair!!!!
katsidis is too strong and amir will never fight him!!
run amir run
interesting, Khan has the faster hands but Katsidas has faster feet and really cuts the ring off.
kahn has fought 3 timse at light welter, and no one can force a boxer to any fight or any weight, so your typing rubbish again, the same article over & over, whingeing about Kahn, get a life
if khan fought torres every hater woulda said torres was past his best or his not been in de ring or suttin he got a right fight
people forget that Khan was also a ligthweight! so it isnt like hes picking on the smaller fighters. Katsidis is already a big lightweight so he’d be huge at lightwelter! and if he caught Khan it would be lightsout.
id pick Khan on points and if not a match against Urango would be good
It would be a step in the right direction because katsidis is a puncher even though he’s a division below,the honeymoon is over now for Khan, and if thinks he’s getting undue criticises its the nature of his rise from turning pro and being given a million pounds to do so, then his over hyped career to date!!not with standing every time Khan open his mouth being interviewed he sound off about 1, boxers are not in league, 2, talking about taking out the top men in the 140LB , 3 said he’s going to be legend and so on,he’s a multi millionaire from one of the easiest career routes i’ve ever seen,its now time to step up to the plate,And please no more he’s only 23 or he’s got to mature they should have thought of that before letting him run before leaning to walk.
Prescot is the man i would prefer to see share the ring with Khan , but its very doubtful they will risk that after the last encounter; so Katsidis is at least a known fighter puncher and the forgone conclusion of a Khan win is no longer a certainty.
oh come on this fights a complete cop out. if you’re going to put him in with a puncher and want an exciting fight put him in with someone his own f**king size. im so sick of this bs.
breidis prescott is the man they should be looking to make the fight with not micheal katsidis. khan is nothing but a bully, its sickening.
This is actually a dangerous fight for Khan. Katsidis is only 3 inches shorter than Khan but is more built and powerful than him. So in boxing terms any advantages Khan has are negated. Katsidis also has good boxing skills and is a much better fighter than Breidas Prescott. I can actually see Khan losing this quite badly. Much the same way as Khan lost to Presscott. If Khan does beat Katsidis it will prove that he has come a very long way since the Prescott lost and if he does so while taking some shots it will show that Khan is not that vulnerable.
nah, its not broken surely. where did you see that?
omfg a broken back. he might not return to boxing and he’s my favorite fighter
Khan is fighting Joel Casamayor, Not Katsidis.
***Maidana has a broken back***
golden boy wont match him up with ortiz because they have both fighters so we just arent going to see it happen though that would have been very good
presott would make an ideal opponent now, he’s moved up in weight, told khan he’s happy for a rematch. its exciting, its what the fans want. khan says he would run cirles around him so prove it.
katsidis could knock khan out but he isnt that skilled however with his style he has a good chance of putting pressure on khan and ko-ing him.
Boring Brit fighters. I wouldn’t want to watch.
Both boxers are amatures.
Khan would lose to Bradley is he fought him anytime soon. I think Khan is the better boxer and would outbox Bradley easily, Bradley’s defense isn’t very good and is being overrated on here. But the trouble is Bradley can throw big hooks and has alot more skill than someone like Prescott. If Khan’s chin is suspect as we all believe it is, he’d be in danger of getting KO’d. If Khan keeps away from Bradley’s big punches, then he’ll win.
maidana cant fight khan because he injured his back n khan is facing katsidis who is a big lightweight n dat can punch very hard so dis will shut up de critics if khan wins.
@ guest your comment is absolutely 100% right his own words proving he has no back bone
Would Madaina be fit to fight Khan in July? If not then theres no point moaning about that fight not being made.
But facing Katsidis isnt really the fight i wanted to see, Theres still other top Light Welters he could face, personally id like him to face Urango or Ortiz.
I knew Khan wouldnt fight Maidana. The guys a joke, fighting blown up lightweights.
Having said that. I bet he prays Katsidis doesnt take the fight cuz Michael will knock him out at any weight.
I’ll have no respect for Khan whatsoever if he doesnt fight a genuine LWW next
Khan is a good fighter but he’s still young. I don’t think he’s ready for jmm. Jmm will capitalize on any little mistake.
khan-katsidis & khan-jmm would be very good fights. it would be very interesting to see how they would deal with each others stregths & whose weaknesses would be exposed. anyone who would complain about those fights being made just isn’t a fan of the sport.
khan-diaz will never happen (cos jmm beats diaz) & it would be a total mismatch both ability-wise & stylistically.
goodnight khan
JUST REMEMBER ONE JAB TO THE FOREHEAD AND ITS OVER LOL
Cherry picked opponents they sure are milking this punk. Still not a fight I would give him respect for. He only takes fights were he’s got the advantage. Opponents that have no power, past their prime, no boxing skill, really no threat type fighters. But he’s already admitted he wants to fight fighters who are over the hill past their prime. Its about fighting the top guys when there carrers about to go down. I don’t understand how anybody could be fan of this guy.
The Aurthor should really stop publishing, cos his articles are really bad. he does not understand boxing, i feel that he is a khan hater as apposed to a boxing fan.
I personally dont like Khan as an individual but give him credit he has fought or asked to fight any fighter and shown them. apart from Prescot but i think Prescott is small time compared to him. He needs to fight Bradley or Alexander.
i love boys
Dear author it makes money sense to do this. Neither Bradley, Maidana or Alexander can fight Khan this year. Look at the long term plan… Get a grip
Fight Prescott, man up, the blueprint is there so just outbox him and Im sure he will fight for peanuts. Although Prescott has just moved up in weight so his punches could be huge.
Scheffer is an ediot they trna milk khan as much as they can.
we know khan can beat maidana, bradle or alexandra but golden boy is not looking to risk there investment (KHAN) .
so now they want to put him back in the shallow end against these average fighters who were good at a point of there career.
kastidids has no chance against khan he hits hard but his speed is in no league to match khan , yeah hes world class but not on khans level.
khan should wait to fight aa jr welterweight instead of this warm up fight.
if he’s going to fight on July 31, he won’t have training time to prepare for any top light welterweight. instead of fighting a non-punching light welter, why not fight a big puncher at lightweight? i would say Katsidis is a smaller version of Maidana, maybe with a bit less accuracy. He would get more credit for fighting the well known Katsidis, rather than this Torres you mention – someone I never heard of except the Liverpool football team striker
BLOODTEST THIS GUY HE PART OF
PACMAN CREW AND THE WORLD KNOWS
WHAT HE ON
amir khan says he will never go back to lightweight because it drains him weak too much. Khan easily makes jr welter.
Khan is just trying to keep busy by fighting before Ramadan, at very short notice that is all that is available. It all depends maybe Khan will go back to lightweight for this fight and look for a double weight champion status whilst he still can make the weight.
Khan has said quite clearly he wants to fight Maidana, Bradley and Alexander – if those fights cannot be made then a big name like Katsidis will do for now. You can talk about weight all you like… but to compare Khan to the GIANT Klitschkos is laughable… everyone they fight is about 40 pounds lighter, ha.
Amir says “get in the line” but guys wanna fight him because they will beat him
fight ortiz, both fought te same night , he’s nt exactly top tier but a prospect nonetheless despite tko’d by maidana and he’s NOT A LIGHTWEIGHT, dun be anotha catchweight chump like roach other fighter…