By William Mackay: This Saturday night, Amir Khan (19-1, 15 KOs) has a lot riding on the line when he meets up with former three time champion Marco Antonio Barrera (65-6, 43 KOs) in a lightweight bout at the M.E.N. Arena, in Manchester, Lancashire. At 22, Khan has a lot to lose in this fight, with his trainer Freddie Roach saying “If he can’t this guy at this point in his career, I believe it’s over, yes. I believe then he’ll never be a world champion, and if you can’t be a world champion this sport, you don’t belong it in it.”
Roach does feel that Khan will win the fight, saying “I know Barrera’s style real well and how to beat it.” However, Roach, as strong as his words were about Khan, is probably right about his career essentially being over. Sure, he can fight on in his career staying strictly within the local area of the UK, and still possibly make a lot of money due to his popularity.
But, on the world level, he’d have a tough time coming back from another loss, especially if it were another knockout loss like the one that he experienced two fights ago against Colombian Breidis Prescott in 2008.
Barrera, 35, ranked number #1 in the WBO, is hoping to get a victory and then move forward into a title shot in the near future. However, should he lose to Khan, his plans for a title should will be down the drain and putting him in a bad position for another chance in the future against one of the title holders. There are many people who see Barrera as totally shot, which is perhaps the main reason he’s been trotted out as an opponent for Khan.
Like a Cobra that’s had its fangs partially removed and along with it much of its venom, Barrera is seen as worn fighter without the same skills he once had. Barrera, though, doesn’t agree with this assessment and intends on proving a lot of people wrong by taking Khan out. Barrera already has firsthand experience at beating two talented British fighters, stopping Paul Lloyd in the 1st round in April 1999, then defeating Prince Naseem Hamed by a 12-round unanimous decision in 2001.
As far as British fighters go, Barrera doesn’t know how to lose, which is something that Frank Warren, the promoter for Khan, hopefully is aware of going into this fight. Barrera may not be what he once was eight years ago, but then again Khan has never been in with a world class fighter in his career like him and may not be ready for what he’s about to face.
Khan has faced some decent fighters on the local level, but no one nearly of the same stature of Barrera, even a faded one like now. Khan has the speed and size going for him, but with his weak chin, there’s a strong possibility that when Barrera finally catches up to him bad things may happen to Amir.
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