Khan still babbling about retiring at 28

By Boxing News - 08/06/2011 - Comments

Image: Khan still babbling about retiring at 28By Scott Gilfoid: In a David Haye-esque manner, 24-year-old WBA Super World light welterweight champion Amir Khan (26-1, 18 KO’s) is still flapping his gums about retiring at 28. Like Haye, Khan has set some arbitrary number that he wants to retire at and looks to have set his mental radar on that age. To me, it sounds rather childish to come up with a number in your head, guess that things are going to go well in the future and then retire at that date.

I see it this way: If Khan actually fights quality guys for the next year and half, he can accelerate his retirement age by one-half by getting trounced by Lucas Matthysse, Marcos Maidana, Breidis Prescott, Robert Guerrero, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Victor Ortiz, Andre Berto and Mike Jones. Those are the guys that Khan should be fighting, although you can exclude Mayweather from that bunch once Khan losses to Prescott, Matthysse, Guerrero and Maidana.

The reality is Khan won’t fight Matthysse, Guerrero, Prescott or Maidana. Khan instead will be matched softly, like in his last fight against the shot Zab Judah, by being put in with Lamont Peterson. You think I’m wrong? Watch. Khan will be put in with Peterson, I guarantee it. Just like Khan didn’t fight a rematch with Prescott or Maidana, two guys that he clearly should be fighting a second time given the outcomes of his previous fights with them. Instead, you get Khan facing weak old guys like Judah or guys that can’t punch like Paulie Malignaggi, Andriy Kotelnik, Oisin Fagan, Dimitri Salita, and Peterson.

Khan said this to BBC Radio Manchester: “By the time I’m 28, that’s the time for me to hang my gloves up and stay with my family. I’m going to walk out of the sport the way I walked in and that’s what I want to tell other people who box.”

Yeah, I bet. Khan will get destroyed by Mayweather, that’s for sure. That’s like a killer comet heading to wipe out a planet. You’re going to change the outcome of Mayweather destroying Khan. But here’s the thing. Khan will go back to being matched against guys that can’t punch after the Mayweather cash out fight, and will be skillfully matched until he turns 28. Fights against Berto, Jones, Ortiz, Matthysse, Maidana, Prescott, and Guerrero will never happen.



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