By Alex Sharp: Last Saturday night we witnessed a classic fight between two of the best fighters in the light welterweight division. On one side we had Amir Khan with his blazing hand speed and on the other Marcos Maidana with his awesome power and determination. There was a lot said before the fight with most people either saying Khan was going to get knocked out or Maidana was gonna get totally out boxed. Well most people were wrong and it ended up being a very close fight with both fighters showing off there skills and showing why they are two of the most exciting fighters in boxing at this moment in time. I am a fan of both of these fighters (unlike most) and could not wait to see how it was going to unfold.

Khan started really well and took a good punch from Maidana in the first minute of the fight. He totally dominated the first few rounds and had Maidana in serious trouble in the first with a perfect body shot. There is no question in my mind that had that punch been landed with a minute to go instead of a few seconds the fight would have been over and the ref would have stopped it because Khan would have finished him. Maidana was seriously hurt by that punch. Khan went on to dominate the first half of the fight with some great movement and he picked of Maidana at will. People say that he has no power to speak of well I don’t believe that. The game plan for Khan was to keep moving and build up the rounds rather than stand there and have a tear up (which he did have to do at times). In the second half of their fight though Maidana came right back into it especially in round ten when he had Khan in big trouble. Now can I just say, it does not matter who is fighting Maidana you are going to have to take punishment at some point and you are going to have to take some massive shots at some point, so rather than criticize Khan for the beating he took in round ten he should be getting praised. People said he had no chin. Well he completely proved those people wrong he absorbed some massive shots and still fought on. It is true the ref could have stopped the fight but Khan was still moving and protecting himself so it would have been unfair for him to stop it. Maidana without question took the last three rounds and this is what people seem to keep focusing on, but may I remind you boxing is over twelve rounds not three and even without the point deduction(which I thought was really harsh) Khan won the fight by a round or maybe two.

Amir Khan seems to be hated by a lot of people out there and some of the things that have been said about him are shocking. For starters he won that fight, no question. This is not up for debate so anyone saying anything else is wrong. Fact. His game plan for the fight was to keep moving and pick Maidana off with shots, and people criticize him for running the whole fight (which he didn’t do). Well I did not hear anyone saying it when Andre Dirrell did it against both Carl Froch and the second half of the fight against Arthur Abraham. He held on for dear life ever-time Froch got near him and ran like mad against Abraham. Yet after these fights people were saying first he was robbed against Froch and he was amazing against Abraham, so why does Amir Khan get pulled to bits for using a game plan against the biggest hitter in the division. It has also been said that the ref helped him out a lot in the fight. I am not saying that the way Cortez managed the fight did not help Khan but think back to when Mayweather fought Hatton. Cortez would not allow Hatton to fight on the inside at all but no one mentions that now it was just another easy win for Mayweather. To have a valid opinion you have to be playing on an even playing field or your views are totally irrelevant. Some of the things that I have read about Khan are so stupid that I have come to a solution. These things are written out of jealousy and written by people who don’t like to see a certain type of person do well or be successful. So when you read these comments just think the total opposite of what is written and you will be nearer the truth. Its funny how fighters like Ward, Dirrell never have a bad word said about them, is there a pattern here, I think so.

Finally both Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana should be commended for their performance on Saturday, they were both outstanding. There is no doubt in my mind that Maidana would beat either Bradley or Alexander. Its gonna be interesting to see who Khan faces next and I don’t believe for a second he is ready to face Mayweather(and wont be for a while) but just remember he is still young and still has a lot to learn but if he carries on like this he has a very bright future ahead of him.