By Dan Ambrose: Earlier today, WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (23-1, 17 KO’s) and WBA light welterweight interim champion Marcos Maidana (29-1, 27 KO’s) signed the contract for a fight that will be taking place on December 11th, at the Mandalay Bay, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dan Rafael reports that the 23-year-old Khan wanted the fight to take place in his native England.

Maidana was okay with this as long as he got paid more money. Khan wasn’t interested in giving him extra cash, so now the fight will be taking place in Las Vegas. Khan will receive $1.5 million, along with revenue from the UK television rights. Maidana will get $550,000, and possibly more if he wins the fight.

Maidana had requested the fight go to purse bids, because he was unhappy with the money that was offered to him. However, with the negotiations now settled, it will no longer be necessary for a purse bid for the bout.

This will be by far Khan’s toughest defense of his World Boxing Association light welterweight title, which he won last year with a lopsided 12 round decision over Andriy Kotelnik.

Khan has defended the title twice, once against Dmitri Salita and another time against former IBF light welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi. Neither fight was competitive, especially the Salita fight. He was taken out in one round by Khan. Maidana hits a lot harder than Malignaggi and Salita, although he is vulnerable to getting hurt. Maidana was dropped multiple times by Victor Ortiz in his fight with him last year.

Maidana was never badly hurt, and came back to stop Ortiz in the 6th round with a series of punishing shots to the head. If Khan can’t knock Maidana out, he could be facing a very tough fight. Maidana isn’t very fast of hand or on his feet, but he has a way of wearing down his opponents with his constant bombardment of heavy shots. Khan will have a big advantage in speed and movement, but Maidana is a lot more relentless with his pressure.

Maidana cuts off the ring better than Kotelnik and hits a lot harder than him as well. Khan may find it tougher running from Maidana than he did against Kotelnik. He may actually have to fight him to get the win. Maidana isn’t someone that can be beaten on the cheap. You have to actually fight him to beat him.

Kotelnik was able to win a controversial decision over Maidana last year in a fight that took place in Germany. However, few people agree with the decision and Kotelnik took an enormous amount of heavy shots in the fight and was left a bloody mess by the end of the 12th. It would be interesting to see if Khan could take that kind of punishment and still remain standing at the end of the fight.

Maidana looked poor in his last fight against DeMarcus Corley last month. Maidana won the fight by a 12 round decision but looked sloppy and tired in the later rounds.