Photo credit: Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment) By Scott Gilfoid: Despite losses to Breidis Prescott, Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia, Amir Khan (30-3, 19 KOs) is almost ready for the boxing Hall of Fame, at least that’s what his trainer Virgil Hunter is spouting. Hunter believes that because of Khan’s wins over the light hitting Paulie Malignaggi, an arguably shot Zab Judah, Marco Antonio Barrera and Luis Collazo that he’s proven himself as a Hall of Fame fighter.
I can’t say I agree with Hunter, because if Khan is ready for the Hall of Fame, then that must mean Peterson, Garcia and Prescott are all ready for the Hall of Fame as well, because they all beat Khan. I hate to say it but if Khan gets into the Hall off of the career he’s had so far, I think that cheapens the Hall to the extreme. I know it’s very hard to get voted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. I’d like to think that the Boxing Hall of Fame would be exclusive to where only the true quality guys get in.
It would be easier to take Hunter seriously in his estimation of Khan’s talent if Khan had actually beaten some quality guys since being starched in the 4th round by Danny Garcia in 2012. I mean, Khan hasn’t faced one puncher since the loss to Garcia, and you’ll still be able to say that after this Friday when Khan fights the feather-fisted Chris Algieri on Spike TV on Premier Boxing Champions from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Khan needs to fight guys like Kell Brook, Marcos Maidana, Lucas Matthysse, Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman. Since he’s not fighting those guys, it’s difficult to take Khan seriously.
“Amir is already very close to being a Hall of Fame boxer,” Hunter said via the Dailymail.co.uk. “He’s already beaten two-time and three-time world champions in Judah, Malignaggi, Collazo and Marco Antonio Barrera. He’s a two-time world champion himself.”
Beating Malignaggi, Collazo and Barrera mean absolutely nothing. Collazo hasn’t been relevant since he lost to Ricky Hatton in 2007. Collazo disappeared pretty much from major competition shortly after that. He lost to Andre Berto, and it wasn’t until he beat a ring rusty Victor Ortiz that he resurfaced against a notable fighter. But this wasn’t the Ortiz that beat Berto four years ago. This was the Ortiz who’d been inactive for ages.
Judah was at one time a very good fighter, but that over 10 years ago. The Judah that fought Kostya Tszyu and Floyd Mayweather Jr. would have likely whipped Khan, but not the past his best Judah that Khan fought in 2011. Judah has been on the downside of his career since 2007.
Khan’s win over Barrera arguably shouldn’t even count as a victory because Barrera suffered a bad cut from a head-butt in the 1st round. The blood blinded Barrera’s vision, but instead of the fight being stopped in the first four rounds, it was allowed to go until the 5th, which just happened to be the time needed for it to be an official fight.
The fight was then stopped and Khan was given the victory. Why the bout wasn’t stopped in the first four rounds is anyone’s guess because the cut was on the forehead and it hadn’t gotten any worse. The bout took place in Manchester, UK. I don’t know how you can call that a victory because it really wasn’t a fight. It was just a bout stopped on a cut. It’s interesting that Hunter is counting the Barrera fight as a legitimate victory for Khan instead of a fight that should have been ruled as a no contest.
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