By “Faisel Khan: The fighting pride of Bolton UK, Amir Khan will be proving his worth to many critics around the world. Not only has the WBA world champion accepted the challenge from the Argentinean powerhouse who has a record of 29 wins (27 KO’s) and 1 loss but also conformed to Marcos Maidana’s monetary and location requests. This has surprised a vast amount of pugilistic fans around the world who believed Khan has been avoiding big punchers ever since his chin failed the test against Breidis Prescott.
In Khan’s defence, any rational human being would understand why Khan has taken over two years before finally fighting another big puncher. Firstly, Khan was only 21 when he lost to Prescott so he knew time was on his side and there was no need to rush into fighting at the highest level. In addition it was be sensible to suggest Khan’s confidence had been affected but he also relocated his whole team to the United States and began training with the legendary trainer in Freddie Roach and Alex Ariza as his conditioner which required some time to adjust and settle down. Instantly, the duo realized that Khan was too top heavy and began to build his legs so that he became more ‘symmetrical’. Prior to this, Khan was training in the UK where he was too focused on weight training to develop his power as critics claimed he only had speed but lacked power. Khan’s fitness regime revolved around becoming muscular with a very low body fat percentage to make the 135lbs limit which eventually became a struggle to make. Ever since being at the wildcard Khan has impressed in his fights including impressively ‘out boxing the boxer’ stoppage win over the durable Paulie Malignaggi.
Ever since losing to Prescott, Khan has always labelled the loss as a ‘blessing in disguise’ and I for one actually believe it is the best thing that could of happened to a young fighter with potential who was getting ahead of himself and as a result it transformed a boy into a man and could nurture a great talent into a great boxer. The great Muhammed Ali stated “Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.” Thus, we all know Khan is a gifted boxer and has the tools to comfortably outbox most fighters; however the test that the boxing world has been waiting for is the inevitable chin test and whether he is able to find that ‘extra ounce of power’ to overcome adversity and show us whether the Prescott defeat really was a ‘blessing in disguise’ and merely a ‘bad day at the office’. Khan could potentially be recognized as a force to be reckoned with and a future top P4P boxer amongst fight fans around the globe if he was to successfully defend his WBA light-welterweight belt on 14th December 2010.
This matchup has excited the boxing world because finally they are going to witness a fan’s fight which seems to be uncommon these days. Boxing forums and YouTube have been overwhelmed with predictions and analyses by fans since the fight was announced the reason behind this is because it’s a difficult fight to predict. It would be rational to predict Khan winning via UD but many can also envisage Maidana landing a flush overhand right on Khan’s chin and subsequently Khan’s backside hitting the canvas. However, the general consensus amongst fans seems to be that if the fight was to go the distance then Khan would be the most likely winner as he is clearly the better boxer whereas Maidana has the punchers chance.
Thus, it would be logical to presume Khan’s game plan will entail keeping distance, jab, land combinations and use his footwork to get out before Maidana can land anything. However, Khan has recently stated he will be the oppressor in this fight and he won’t be ‘on his bike’. Whether Khan meant that or merely playing mind games, we do know we are in for a treat when the bell rings on fight night. A victory for Khan and the world could become his oyster. He will prove many people wrong and would win over countless of boxing fans around the globe and could truly be recognized as the future face of boxing. It is time for Khan to take destiny into his own hands and show us whether he really does have the ‘extra ounce of power’. Enjoy the fight!
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