By William Mackay: Trainer Freddie Roach was just sent packing by Amir Khan following his knockout loss to Danny Garcia. Khan replaced him with trainer Virgil Hunter. However, if history is any guide Khan may soon send Hunter packing if Khan suffers another knockout loss in his coming fights.

Khan let trainer Jorge Rubio go following Khan’s 1st round knockout loss to Breidis Prescott in 2008. That’s two trainers gone following knockout defeats. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that Hunter might be the next casualty. To be sure, Hunter is one of the best trainers in boxing right now but he’s only human. He doesn’t super powers to bestow upon Khan to keep him from getting knocked cold.

As good as Hunter is as a trainer, he’s not infallible and he won’t be able to wind up Khan like a toy robot to have him do everything that would keep him out of harms way in his fights. Hunter can give Khan some good advice in training for his fights, and give him good corner instructions but he can’t be out there in the ring taking blows to the head or neck for Khan. Boxing is a cruel sport. You can be blessed with amazing hand speed and boxing ability like Khan, but if you can’t take a good punch then you won’t be able to hold down a title. Khan’s promoters at Golden Boy can get him a paper title against a weak puncher, but they can’t keep Khan away from the punchers in the division permanently. Eventually, a hard puncher will meet up with Khan and we’ll see him flopping around on the canvas.

I don’t see any reason why Rubio or Roach to have been let go by Khan. Rubio is an excellent trainer with years of experience. It’s not his fault that Khan was staggered by a jab from Prescott and then blasted out with a left hook to the head. It was Khan’s fault for charging out of the blocks and trying to punch with the hard hitting Prescott in the 1st round instead of hanging back and trying to box him.

Hunter has all these grand visions for Khan, and sees him as capable of recapturing his world titles. However, Hunter’s words won’t mean if Khan can’t take a decent head shot without collapsing in a heap on the canvas.

Khan’s first fight under the guidance of Hunter will come next month against unbeaten lightweight Carlos Molina (17-0, 7 KO’s) on December 15th in Los Angeles, California. Khan should be able to win this fight without getting knocked about because Molina can’t punch. But at this point anything is possible Khan. He’s lost his last two fights and he’s vulnerable against pretty much anybody.