By William Mackay: If World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Amir Khan gets his way, he’ll be the one fighting Juan Manuel Marquez in the near future, not former light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton. Khan said in an article with the Daily Star “He [Juan Manuel Marquez] is made for my style and, if I beat him, people will start knowing who Amir Khan is in the United States.” Khan is hoping that a victory over a big named star like Marquez will be just what is needed to put Khan in the category of huge mega PPV stars like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

It would be a good start for Khan if he’s able to impressively beat Marquez, but it’s doubtful that a win over the 36-year-old Marquez will be enough to put Khan at or near the level of Pacquiao and Mayweather in the United States. Khan will need to beat more than Marquez to accomplish that. One problem that Khan has in facing Marquez is that the Mexican star was recently handily beaten by Mayweather this year and didn’t look very impressive in losing.

Marquez has fought as a featherweight for most of his career and only recently in the past few years did Marquez move up in weight first to super featherweight and then to lightweight. Marquez has looked much less impressive as he’s moved up in weight and when he came in at 144 for his fight with Mayweather, Marquez looked bloated and slow at that weight. If Khan decides to chase after Marquez, it may give boxing fans then impression that Khan is looking to go after another older fighter.

Khan defeated the 35-year-old Marco Antonio Barrera in a 5th round technical decision in March 2009, in a fight in which Barrera fought with a gashed forehead from the 2nd round until the bout was finally stopped in the 5th. Barrera also had recently moved up in weight to the lightweight division and hadn’t looked good at that new weight.

Additionally, Barrera looked nothing like his former self in his prime years and had the appearance of a fighter that was over-the-hill. If Khan goes for another older fighter rather than, say, Breidis Prescott, who stopped Khan in the 1st round last year or WBA light welterweight interim champion Marcos Maidana, it could make Khan look like a cherry picker and someone afraid to step in the ring with a big slugger.

Sounding like he’s looking out for Hatton’s welfare instead of thinking of himself, Khan said “It’d be tough for Ricky to come straight back to fight Marquez, but good luck to him.” Khan is referring to Hatton coming from his 2nd round knockout in May at the hands of Manny Pacquiao and then moving straight into a dangerous bout with Marquez without a tune-up in between. Khan has a point. It would be a risky thing for Hatton to go after Marquez next given the severity of his knockout loss to Pacquiao.

Hatton would be in big danger of being knocked out again if Marquez were to connect with something big. The only thing that Hatton has going for him in a fight with Marquez is that Marquez isn’t a huge puncher and would still be out of his best weight class by moving up to fight Hatton at light welterweight. Hatton would be the naturally bigger fighter and would possibly be able to bull Marquez around the ring like Hatton did with Kostya Tszyu years ago.

Before Khan gets too caught up with planning his future in 2010, he needs to try and focus more on his next opponent, number #1 ranked WBA mandatory challenger Dmitriy Salita, who Khan will be facing on Decembe 5th at the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear. If khan blows that bout and ends up getting stopped again, he can forget all about fighting Marquez and he also can forget about being viewed by boxing fans as in the same class as Pacquiao.

“I don’t want to go to fight in America too late. Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton left it a bit late. I want to follow in Manny Pacquiao’s footsteps.” If Khan wants to be in their class, he should focus on facing younger fighters like Timothy Bradley, Devon Alexander and Maidana instead of older ones like Barrera and Marquez.