By Michael Lieberman: I’m a big fan of WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KO’s) and think he’s got great boxing skills. I am worried about all the punishment he took in his fight with Marcos Maidana in December, and I’m especially worried about all the head shots Khan took in the 10th through 12th rounds.

Khan was leading late in the fight when Maidana caught up to him and blasted him with one of the hardest punches I’ve ever seen thrown by a light welterweight. It’s a credit to Khan that he stayed on his feet, but the punch had him staggered. The sound of the blow was like a baseball bat hitting a wall.

It gave a loud “crack” when it landed on the jaw of Khan. That punch had Khan looking almost drunk, and it seemed like it knocked loose his senses because Khan started to slug with Maidana at times in the round and even smiled at him at one point. This led to Maidana tagging Khan yet again. If not for Maidana running out of gas, and maybe the referee continuously inserting himself to separate Maidana when he was landing shots on Khan, I think Khan might have been knocked out.

It’s great that Khan got the win, but I’m worried that he may have paid too heavy of a price by being more susceptible to getting hurt in the future when getting hit. Khan may not be able to take even moderately hard shots after this fight. Time will tell, but that’s my thoughts on this. Khan was really hammered by Maidana, and there’s nothing good about all the shots Khan ate during the last three rounds and in many of the other rounds as well.