By Dan Ambrose: If WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KO’s) wants to make a serious statement about him being considered the best fighter in the light welterweight division right now, he needs to show some courage by choosing to take on a high quality opponent for his next bout on April 16th. Khan has been considering facing Paul McCloskey, the EBU light welterweight champion, until McClosley and his promoter said they weren’t willing to accept the low offer that was made to them by Khan.
McCloskey may be unbeaten and might be ranked #10 by The Ring Magazine, but Khan needs someone a lot better known than McCloskey if he wants to get the attention of fans worldwide, and not just in the UK. In this case, Khan needs to show some courage and look to fight someone like Lucas Matthysse, Lamont Peterson or even a rematch with Marcos Maidana if he wants to really impress fans. Khan could really help is relationship with HBO if he were use his April fight to take on a dangerous opponent rather than someone he can just milk his WBA title against with an easy win to get a little cash. There are a number of quality fighters that Khan can take on besides Peterson and Matthysse. He could face lightweight Roberto Guerrero, a fighter that fights in both the lightweight and super featherweight division.
Guerrero is a better fighter than John Murray, the EBU lightweight champion, in my book. If Khan wants a smaller fighter, Guerrero is the better choice because he looks to be a better fighter than Murray and he’s well known in the U.S. Victor Ortiz and Brandon Rios would also be great choices for Khan. Ortiz might not be available because he’s said to be in negotiations for a fight against WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto in April. But if that fight fails to materialize, then Ortiz would be an excellent option for Khan to take. Rios would be a less good option because of his lack of size, but I like him a lot better than Murray.
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