By William Mackay: Former world champion Barry McGuigan thinks IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan is making a big mistake of trying to rush head long into a world title fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. next year. McGuigan thinks that Khan needs more experience, preferably against some top level welterweights before stepping into the ring with Mayweather.
McGuigan said this in his column at the mirror.co.uk: “It’s still to early for him [Khan]. He needs another year. Mayweather will not be coming down to 140 lbs so that means Khan must go to welter. Before he takes on Mayweather, he needs to show that he can hold a shot from a fully-fledged welter and take them out. That means one or two fights at the weight against top class opposition.”
The problem is Khan is facing Lamont Peterson in December, a weak punching light welterweight. After that, Khan could face WBC light welterweight champion Erik Morales, another fighter without much power at light welterweight. If and when Khan does fight an actual welterweight, there’s talk of Khan fighting fellow Brit Kell Brook, a smallish fighter who isn’t a huge puncher either.
Facing Peterson, Morales or Brook is no preparation for what Khan will be facing against Mayweather. But let’s be real about this: Khan stands no chance against Mayweather no matter who he faces. That’s just the reality. This is a payday fight for Khan and that’s about it.
I can understand why McGuigan might want Khan to prove he can take out a welterweight, because that would be the way he could have even a teeny chance of beating Mayweather. It would have to be by knockout, and that’s not going to happen because Khan throws a lot of flurries without a lot of power. He won’t knock Mayweather out with those slaps and will get picked apart in between.
Most likely, Khan will run around the ring for 12 rounds to avoid getting knocked out, but will lose every round of the fight in a painfully boring fight. Anytime you get a mover like Khan with a weak chin, you get the ingredients for a painfully boring fight when they’re forced to step it up.
I don’t think for a second that Khan will face a top welterweight when he does step up. If anything, he might take on an old toothless lion like Shane Mosley or some other old welterweight who’s lost his ability to let his hands go. Khan will of course win against that kind of opposition, and from there he’ll be matched against Mayweather in his money fight.
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