(Photo: Esther Lin/Showtime) By William Mackay: Amir Khan (26-3, 18 KO’s) says he’s fixed all the flaws on his game and that he’s ready to unveil what he calls the “new Amir Khan” on Saturday night against the lightweight fighter 5’6” Carlos Molina (17-0, 7 KO’s) that Golden Boy found for Khan to fight on HBO.
Khan said “I know what mistakes I made in previous fights, and we’re not going to make them again. You will see the new Amir Khan in this fight.”
The mistakes that Khan made in his past fights were attempting to mix it up with his opponents, staying on the ropes too much and shoving. If Khan is going to avoid trading with his opponents he’s going to be a very boring fighter indeed, and that will take a lot of the interest that boxing fans had in seeing him fight.
If you take away Khan’s tendency to slug with his opponents then all you’ve got left is another Paulie Malignaggi type fighter, who jabs, shoves, clinches and runs. That’s not interesting to watch, and if Golden Boy is hoping to turn Khan into a pay per view star someday it’s going to be hard to ask boxing fans to pay to see that kind of fighter.
Even if Khan does fight defensively by jabbing, the good fighters will still be able to clock him by timing his shots, and countering his jabs. They’ll also be able to pressure him and force him against the ropes.
Besides not being very big, Molina doesn’t have much power, which is probably why he was given the fight. Khan was knocked out in his last fight against Danny Garcia last July, and it looks like they didn’t want to take any chances by putting him in with someone from his own division.
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