By William Mackay: Next month, number #2 ranked WBA lightweight contender Victor Cayo (24-0, 16 KO’s) will be fighting World Boxing Association light welterweight interim champion Marcos Maidana (27-1, 26 KO’s) in a 12 round bout at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada. At stake is the 26-year-old Maidana’s spot at the WBA interim champion, but even more than that, the winner would stay in line to get an eventual shot against WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KO’s).

Khan, 23, and his promotional team, Golden Boy Promotions, didn’t want to face the hard hitting Maidana next, even though Khan was supposed to be fighting him. Khan’s team made an arrangement with Maidana for him to fight other opponents in a move that was supposedly done to make more of a name for Maidana before he’s eventually matched up against Khan for what could be a big money fight.

That sounds like a perfectly reasonable thing to want to have happen. However, the risk for Maidana is that if he gets beaten by Cayo or whoever he fights next in 2010, his chances for a fight against Khan would be effectively going down the drain along with it. Of all the fighters that you could think of to match Khan with in the light welterweight division, Maidana, due to his huge power and high pressure offense, would be one of the most dangerous for Khan.

It doesn’t matter that Khan has the much better hand speed, the flashier offensive skills and the great foot work and trainer Freddie Roach. Maidana just on his huge power along would always have the chance to take Khan out at a moment’s notice. It wouldn’t matter how great Khan would look in the fight. If Maidana catches up to him, Khan is going to have to be able to take the huge shots that Maidana lands if he wants to beat him.

Some boxing writers feel that Maidana would be too much for Khan, and that he would eventually get to the British fighter and take him out with a big shot. That’s possibly true. However, if Cayo, who is an excellent boxer with good hand speed, is able to out-box Maidana, then Khan’s problem of having to face Maidana is pretty much taken care. To be sure, it would only be the second loss of Maidana’s career and not the end of the road for him.

Maidana could always work his way back into a title shot by beating four or five opponents and possibly get a shot at a title in a year, maybe two. But it wouldn’t be soon that’s for sure, and the money that Maidana would be making during that time likely would be nothing compared to the money he would likely get in a fight against Khan.

The bottom line is if Maidana loses to Cayo next month on March 27th, he loses big time in getting a shot against Khan in the near future. Unlike Maidana, Khan isn’t taking on a real dangerous opponent in his next fight. Khan is facing the soft hitting Paulie Malignaggi on May 15th, who has lost two out of his last four fights. Certainly, Malignaggi has a chance to beat Khan, but it’s doubtful. Khan is the bigger puncher, with better hand speed and is the younger fighter compared to Malignaggi. This should be a fairly safe fight for Khan.