by Liam Fitzgerald: Before Saturday’s fight in New York, I was one of the people who were failing to get excited by the prospect of a Khan-Malignaggi bout. I thought speed vs. speed would make for a dull contest in which Khan would easily roll over Paulie. To a great extent this is what happened but though he didn’t blow Malignaggi out quickly and spectacularly, there were some elements of Khan’s performance that have led me to think he could become a great fighter.

Firstly, let’s put it into context. Khan was fighting a light hitting, decent fighter but not one that should have caused him a great deal of worry. Paulie’s best chance of winning was to use his own speed to counter Khan on the way in and to a degree he had success with this strategy in rounds 1-3. However, after this Khan just picked him apart from behind is very solid jab and left Malignaggi quite busted up without really taking many big punches.

What impressed me about the win was how Amir followed Freddie Roach’s plan of not rushing in but working behind his jab to get the job done. It was startling to see how much quicker Khan was to the man that in the past had been regarded as the speed merchant at 140lbs. Khan could have got excited with this and tried to load up on combinations to finish the job early but Malignaggi’s head movement was good enough to make this the wrong tactic. Instead by staying true to his jab Khan was able to set up a lot more attacks and from round 8 onwards found great connect success with it. I’m not trying to make out that Khan was world beating on Saturday but he certainly showed me that he is very much a maturing fighter.

And this could be crucial in the progression of his career. If you ally this to his blistering hand speed, decent power and improved defence, it is clear to see he could have a great career ahead of him. However, the one area of doubt is his chin which was ruthlessly exposed by Breidis Prescott. There is no doubt that under Roach, Khan’s defence has improved but they have also worked on strengthening his legs so that they do not fail him every time a big shot is landed.

Yet there is not much evidence to prove whether this work has been a great success since after the Prescott loss, Khan has fought mainly weak fighters whose power is not their greatest asset. Perhaps, the biggest test was Andriy Kotelnik, the tough Ukrainian who had ok power and caught Khan a few times in his first fight at a bigger weight. However, he doesn’t compare to the likes of Prescott or the Argentinean monster, Marcos Maidana.

This is what Khan’s career and legacy will depend on. Being man enough to take on the big hitters. If he wants to gain the recognition he craves, he has to take risks and face the top men in his weight class. His talk of Pacquiao or Mayweather is pathetic because he has done little to merit a shot.

One thing with Khan that annoys lots of fans is that he fails to back up what he says in the ring. He has often talked about taking on Maidana but for some reason hasn’t done so yet. He brought up the idea on Saturday as well so let’s hope this time it materialises. Khan was happy enough to talk about Salita being his mandatory and ‘having’ to fight him but now Maidana is in the same position, he is avoiding him.

I personally think that Khan should take the fight as well. Ok, Maidana has had two great wins recently but speed wise and boxing wise, Khan is the superior man. He could box him on the outside and though Maidana cuts the ring off well, the speed of Khan would see him able to avoid him. Of course, Maidana has a chance but it’s no more than a punchers chance. The truth is Khan has the talent to rule 140lbs but he just needs to stop making up lame excuses and actually take on the best out there.

Popular opinion is that Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander are the best two light welterweights in the world and based on their achievements, that is hard to disagree with. Bradley has beaten a number of solid opponents and is a very well rounded fighter whilst Alexander has exciting promise and will surely improve in the next few years. However, both men are slower than Khan and if Khan wasn’t sloppy and put his punches together well, there’s a good chance he could beat both. Neither American has explosive power and whilst they may be better all round fighters than the Brit, we have seen plenty of times before that speed kills. Either way fights with these 4 top men in the division are a must and whoever comes out on top then would have the right to talk about going after Pacquiao or Mayweather.

Khan wants another fight before Ramadan and is looking at July 31st as a possible date. This would rule out Bradley and Alexander as opponents as there would be a need for more time for both fighters to prepare whilst Maidana is unlikely to have recovered from his back injury in time. Michael Katsidis is being looked at as a potential opponent and this would not be the worst fight to watch, even if Katsidis is in truth a lightweight and would be seen as a cherry picked opponent. However, after that if Khan’s next fights weren’t against the main men at 140lbs, he would rightly be criticized for his lack of risk taking. It would tarnish his reputation and potentially fatally damage his career.