By William Mackay: World Boxing Association (WBA) light welterweight champion Amir Khan (23-1, 17 KO’s) continues to look past his next fight against WBA light welterweight interim champion Marcos Maidana (29-1, 27 KO’s) towards a fight against someone like Floyd Mayweather Jr. Khan, 23, faces the biggest puncher of his short career in Maidana on December 11th at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Instead of focusing completely on Maidana and not counting the fight already in the win column, Khan has steadily been looking past Maidana towards a fight with Mayweather. Khan says he plans on fighting the winner of the Timothy Bradley vs. Devon Alexander bout next if he beats Maidana, and then look to take on Mayweather.

It sounds like a naive pipe dream on Khan’s part, because he’s looked shaky even against weak punchers, and was knocked flat the only time in his career that he was put in with a big puncher in Breidis Prescott in 2008. Khan perhaps doesn’t realize how skillfully he’s been managed to keep him away from big punchers, because he seems to believe his wins over fighters like Dmitri Salita and Paulie Malignaggi equate to him being able to withstand huge shots from Maidana all night long.

I think Khan is making a huge mistake to look at Maidana and figure he can beat the guy and then beat Bradley or Alexander to get to Mayweather. I don’t think Khan has the chin to get past Maidana, and I see Bradley and Alexander both knocking him out as well.

In an article at talksport.co.uk, Khan said “He’s [Maidana] a big puncher. He walks forward, a pressure fighter, very little skill but I think he’s just more about power – throwing the big bombs and throwing a lot of looping shots. I’ll have to be careful, I’ll have to be one step in front of him every time and just be smart about everything.”

You better believe Khan has to be careful. He’s going to have to guard his egg shell chin the entire 12 rounds, because I don’t see Khan being able to stop Maidana. For him to stop Maidana, Khan will have to trade shots with him and if he trades shots, Khan will likely be knocked unconscious very quickly.

I see Khan getting knocked out with a single punch by Maidana early in the fight in one of those types of knockouts where the fighter is out before they hit the floor. As soon as Khan is trapped by Maidana or as soon as Khan tries to open up with his own offense, the fight will be over because Maidana will connect with something and Khan will be stretched out on the canvas.

This is what Khan had to say about Mayweather: “I can’t fight Manny because we train together, we’ve got the same trainers and everything, but someone like Floyd Mayweather in the next 12 months I think I’ll be ready for him because I’m getting older, I’m getting mature, I’m learning, I’m getting more experience.”

I don’t see Khan ready for Mayweather in 12 rounds. I see Khan ready to work his way back up the ladder by fighting domestic fighters in the UK after being knocked out by Maidana, and possibly another fighter after that. I think Maidana is going to badly hurt Khan to the point where he’ll be susceptible to future knockouts even by the lightest of punches.