Khan points to his experience as being key to beating Garcia

By Boxing News - 05/31/2012 - Comments

Image: Khan points to his experience as being key to beating GarciaBy William Mackay: Despite having boxed only 21 more rounds as a pro than WBC light welterweight champion Danny Garcia, Amir Khan sees himself as being more experienced going into their fight on July 14th on HBO.

Khan is making a big deal about this little bit of extra experience as well as being one year older than the 24-year-old Garcia.

Khan said to Ukfighthype.com “I am more experienced than this kid. He is the first guy I have fought who is younger than me…I will be more wiser, I will be more stronger, and I have faced better opposition.”

I disagree on Khan being wiser and I also disagree with him stronger. I see them both about the same in terms of power, but as far ring smarts go, I think Garcia is the much more intelligent fighter. He doesn’t waste punches like Khan does, and he doesn’t run around the ring expending energy foolishly for no reason like Khan does. On a 1-10 scale, I’d put Khan as a 2 or 3, and Garcia around 8 or 9.

Garcia is a smart fighter and he doesn’t do all the silly fouling like Khan does. Garcia knows how to fight on the inside, unlike Khan, and if he didn’t know how he’d learn. Garcia wouldn’t be shoving or pulling down on the head of his opponent to get an edge. He’s had an excellent amateur background where he was the 2006 U.S national champion. He didn’t make it to the Olympics like Khan, but if he had I could see him doing better than Khan.

Khan does have an edge in fights against better quality opposition but not that big of an edge.

Here are Khan’s best opposition:

Andriy Kotelnik
Marcos Maidana
Paul McCloskey
Zab Judah
Lamont Peterson
Paulie Malignaggi
Marco Antonio Barrea

Here is Garcia’s best opponents:

Erik Morales
Kendall Holt
Nate Campbell
Mike Arnaoutis
Ashley Theophane

Khan has an advantage but not that big of one. Barrera was over the hill, Judah wasn’t the same fighter he once was, and the ending of that fight should have resulted with Khan penalized for holding and hitting. McCloskey has no power and has been exposed in his last two fights since the Khan bout. Khan’s win over Maidana might have ended in a knockout loss had the referee not stepped in to break the action so much after Khan was hurt. Malignaggi and Kotelnik had no power, so the win over them isn’t that big of a deal.



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