By Scott Gilfoid: It was a terrible sight to see WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KO’s) looking like a skinny pinata in rounds 10 through 12 while power puncher Marcos Maidana swatted him with lefts and rights at close range. Khan looked like a clueless novice in there, grasping at Maidana’s neck, holding onto one arm at a time, turning his back on Maidana and shoving him really hard and not getting warned by referee Joe Cortez. Khan lucked out in that Cortez stepped in during crucial moments to separate Maidana from Khan and thus give Khan space to run around the ring. It slowed Maidana down enough for Khan to escape from getting knocked out.

Never the less, Khan took brutal head shots for the last three rounds and was staggered repeatedly by Maidana. At the end of the bout, Khan’s head looked like a big red tomato. I can only wonder how much damage might have occurred inside his head from the big shots Maidana was connecting with.

This was one of those beatings that lasts a lifetime. I can’t see Khan coming back the same fighter after this bout. He needs at least six months to recover from all the shots that Maidana was tagging him with, but even then, I see Khan getting beaten up in his next fight unless they go back to pitting him against guys like Dmitri Salita, Paulie Malignaggi and Oisen Fagan. Khan can beat those guys, but he won’t be able to beat Timothy Bradley or Devon Alexander, no way.

I think the window has closed for Khan in being able to beat those guys. Maidana did too much damage and I see Khan getting staggered and beaten up by almost anyone with any kind of talent and/or power. And no way will Khan be put back in with Maidana. That was the one and only time that Khan will ever be matched against him.

If by chance Maidana becomes Khan’s mandatory challenger in the future, I see Khan either vacating or moving up in weight. There won’t be a rematch in this lifetime. It’s fortunate that Cortez was able to work this fight, because I think that was what kept Khan from getting knocked out. Not that Cortez was on Khan’s side, but rather he just seems to be the type that has a habit of breaking up action for fighters trying to work on the inside the way that Maidana was in the process of doing last Saturday night after badly hurting Khan.

Khan will be okay even if Maidana has ruined him as a fighter. Khan, after knocked out three to four times, can always go back to fighting in the UK and still making good money fighting some of the domestic fighters over there. Although Khan will be forgotten in the U.S by then, it won’t matter. British fans will still gladly pay big money to watch Khan beat up on domestic level opponents on pay per view until Khan starts getting knocked out by even them. Depending on how badly Maidana may have hurt Khan, he could have problems against local British fodder.