By Daniel Ciminera: So much negativity is being thrown around right now about Amir Khan and his future. OK, there will always be a certain amount of “he should fight this guy or that guy”, everyone has a differing opinion, of course they do, but all of it at the moment seems completely negative.

To understand Khan’s situation you must look back at his earlier days when he was running his mouth and getting worried by D-rate fighters. I, along with all the current naysayers was hoping and wishing him to get knocked out every time he fought. Then it happened, and I thought great, now this kid will disappear and never be heard from again, or he’ll have a couple more fights to try to get back on the proverbial horse, but lose again and we’ll be rid of him.

How wrong was I? Amir Khan, the young man who many boxing “fans” still say has no heart, came back from that devastating knockout and became a world champion. Many of you will say Kotelnik was a bum, many of you will be wrong, Kotelnik was and still is, one of the most awkward, hard-to-beat fighters in boxing, Marcos Maidana can vouch for that.

For those who still say Khan has a weak chin, what is your evidence? Yes, he was hurt by weak fighters in the past, and was indeed knocked out by an “unknown” (to the casual) fighter in Prescott. But since then he has come through fights with much tougher opposition, Kotelnik caught him cleanly on many occasions but, didn’t shake the foundations. An aging Barrera also caught him, but lets be honest,
name a fighter who Barrera isn’t wiley enough of an old goat to cause problems for?

This of course leads us into his greatest test to date, Marcos Maidana. I read literally into the hundreds of articles and comments saying the fight would never happen and that Khan’s people would never expose him to such danger etc, and that even if they did, it would be pointless because Maidana would finish the job quicker than Prescott. Well, guess what… Khan, as I wrote in January 2010 that he would, took the fight, and won it fair and square. And as you all saw, had Maidana on the floor. Khan literally schooled Maidana for 9 rounds, with his vastly superior speed and boxing skills, Maidana looked lost and one-dimensional. Yes, you’re going to say, but Khan was seriously hurt in the 10th. Yes, he was, but did he go to the ground? Or did he battle on to close out a very hard fought final few rounds or what was a very gritty performance.

He has changed my opinion of his potential and future since being under the tutelage of Freddie Roach, not because I wanted him to succeed all along, but because he proved me wrong on so many levels. Not only that, but he comes to the ring each time willing to learn, he works hard to make sure he does not make the same mistake again. Not many fighters these days actively strive for better each and every time they train.

Now people are saying he simply MUST fight Prescott again to avenge the defeat, or he cannot be a credible contender. Why? Pacquiao is the biggest thing in boxing for over a decade, and he has unavenged losses on his record. Mike Tyson never got back in the ring with James Buster Douglas. Does this mean that both Pacquiao and Tyson ought to be written out of the hall of fame and struck from their legendary status in boxing history? Of course it doesn’t, because they are great fighters. And in turn, Khan has the opportunity to join them at those dizzying heights IF he continues down the path he is on and forgets all about Prescott. He has clearly rid himself of those demons and doesn’t need to revisit them for your sake, nor mine.

If Khan takes on European champion Paul McCloskey next, so what? He has just come through the fight of his life and beaten the hardest hitting guy in the division by a clear margin not just on the score cards, but in class too. Those who say khan is ducking greater opposition to fight McCloskey are horribly misinformed. This is a top 10 ranked fighter who, despite his age at 31, is a rising star at domestic and European level just like Khan was and just like Nathan Cleverly is. At some point, whether it was against Amir Khan or some other title holder, McCloskey was going to be given a shot at the world title. He’s had more pro fights than Devon Alexander, and only a couple less than Khan. Some may say the only reason he doesn’t enjoy the same profile as Khan is that he did not win an Olympic medal. This rings true, but the hype surrounding the medal is what caused Khan the headaches domestically to begin with. Something I am sure McCloskey will be glad of! As for the actual fight, I think Khan will win it in the later rounds, and people will say he only won because he fought a bum. Conversely, if Khan gets beaten, people will say he was beaten by a nobody. Both camps will be wrong of course, but that is exactly
why, aside from the skills of McCloskey, that this is such a dangerous fight for Khan. He’s damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t.

I am sure he will face both Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander at some point, and I am sure those fights will be great to watch, but Khan is still a young fighter very much in development and throwing him in against the very best in the division too soon will always result in him being beaten. That is not cherry picking, that is working your way through the ranks and learning your trade as a professional. For the remaining doubters, the clue is in the word professional. It would be reckless and amateurish to chase after something he’s not ready for like an excited puppy the way the armchair boxing fans would have him do.

Here’s to a bright and successful year for Amir Khan.