By William Mackay: Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer is looking to put the proposed title fight between WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (23-1, 17 KO’s) and once beaten World Boxing Association light welterweight interim champion Marcos Maidana (29-1, 27 KO’s) in Detroit, Michigan, according to boxing news from thesun.co.uk. The reasoning behind this wish on Schaefer’s part is due to the large Muslim population in Detroit to will hopefully shove in droves to watch the 23-year-old Khan fight Maidana. Khan had been hoping to place the fight in the UK where he could fight in front of his adoring British fans. Additionally, the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester and the O2 Arena in London are both already booked up for December 11th, so it’s not possible for Khan to fight Maidana in those venues on that date. Khan wants the fight to be in England.

What seems strange is that Khan’s reasoning for coming to the United States was to become a big star like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., and yet here Khan is with his biggest fight of his career and he’s looking to put in the UK rather than the United States. I can’t figure that out. Khan had had exactly one fight in the U.S, and that was against Paulie Malignaggi, who isn’t even a factor among the top light welterweights anymore other than a name from the past. Khan fights him in the United States, but then wants to fight Maidana, one of the best light welterweights, in the UK. What is up with that?

That sounds like a self defeating moving if Khan really wants to become a star in the U.S. I have an idea. How about Khan fighting Maidana in the U.S. and then fighting guys like Malignaggi in the UK. You think that would work? If Khan wants to be a star here, he’s got to face the best here, not in the UK. That’s a weird move trying to take the Maidana fight to the UK. I wonder if Khan is afraid of losing to Maidana in front of a U.S. audience. In that case, I think Khan is brilliant in wanting to put the Maidana fight in the UK. That way hardly anyone from the U.S. will see or know about the fight unless they come here.

Khan still hasn’t signed the contract that Schaefer sent over to him for the Maidana fight. Schaefer is hoping Khan will sign the contract, but we’ll have to wait and see. This is a big decision for Khan to make. He was flattened the last time he fought a knockout artist by the name of Breidis Prescott in 2008, and Maidana is a bigger puncher than Prescott. I can understand why Khan wouldn’t be eager sign that contract, but there’s only so many weak punchers for him to fight before he finally has to face someone with some pop.

The Khan-Maidana fight could also end up in Las Vegas, Nevada. That’s Schaefer’s second choice for the fight. If that’s the case, the fight will end up at the MGM Grand on December 11th.