By William Mackay: WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (23-1, 17 KO’s) has sprouted some big ideas about his future in the light welterweight division, because he’s already talking about unifying the light welterweight titles, when he hasn’t even beaten his next opponent WBA light welterweight interim champion Marcos Maidana (29-1, 27 KO’s) yet. Khan, 23, faces the knockout artist Maidana on December 11th at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. In an article at thesun.co.uk, Khan says “I am taking a big risk with this fight [Maidana] but I am going to grab the opportunity with both hands and unify the light welterweight titles.” I’d like to see that happen, but frankly I tend to see Khan getting blasted out in two or three rounds by Maidana on 12/11.
Khan will need a chin to beat Maidana, because this isn’t the light punching Paulie Malignaggi or Dmitri Salita that Khan will be facing. Maidana isn’t just going to crumble like the mostly British opposition that Khan has faced during his career. Khan is going to have to take some major league shots to beat Maidana. He won’t be able to run and flurry his way to victory.
Maidana is going to corner Khan and tag him with a big shot. I see this fight as being very much like the Kostya Tszyu vs. Zab Judah fight, in which Judah, with his fast hands, was giving Tszyu all kinds of problems in the opening round, but was stopped in the 2nd round after getting tagged by one hard right hand from Tszyu. Khan is probably going to look really good until Maidana tags him his first hard shot of the fight.
At that point, I see Khan staggering around the ring like a drunk and Maidana chasing after him to brain him with one final right hand. I think this fight is going to further expose Khan once and for all as a weak-chinned fighter who can handle the light punchers but who crumbles when taking on any kind of fighter with power.
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