(Photo credit: Tom Casino/Showtime) By Rameez Haider: Amir Khan is a boxer who divides opinion across the boxing world. Some people think he is a great fighter waiting to fulfill his potential, others think he is an over rated fighter with a weak chin. The one thing people can’t deny is that he brings to the ring the excitement of the unexpected.
It’s hard to believe that 12 months ago, Khan was being muted as a potential opponent for Floyd Mayweather and was the undisputed champion at light welterweight. The question is what does Khan need to do to really prove the doubters wrong and fulfill the potential that many see in him?
There is no questioning his positive attributes which he possesses in abundance. Khan’s hand speed is one of the best out there and at times though his technique can sometimes make him reckless. When he does put his combinations together, it truly is a sight to behold in boxing. Throughout his career Khan has also shown that he has fairly good power in both hands as well. Granted he may not possess the power of a Maidana, but he has enough to be able to hurt and stop the majority of his opponents.
I think it’s also fair to say that Khan has the heart required to make it to the top. The way he fought through the Maidana fight towards the end, and even in both his defeats to Peterson and Garcia. Whether it was bad tactics or not, he showed the heart to keep fighting to the end, and this will is something that is required by any boxer wanting to make it to the top. The perfect example of this would be in someone like Victor Ortiz, who despite improving in this department still has this question surrounding his heart in boxing.
People question Khan’s chin and it is fair to say it is not his strongest point but is it really as weak as everyone makes out? In my opinion the answer is no and though people may be shocked by this I am going to explain why. Looking at Khan’s career since moving up to light welterweight under Roach, Khan was matched up against people with relatively low punch power, but Khan has taken big shots off the likes of Maidana and Peterson and stayed standing regardless of whether he was hurt or the knees buckled.
The 2 people who hurt Khan since he moved up in weight have been Maidana and Garcia, the two biggest punchers in the division. But even then the issue was not Khan’s chin as much as it was the awful defence which meant that both Maidana and Garcia caught Khan with his hands down and his chin in the air. The truth is if you stood any light welterweight with their hands down and chins in the air and asked Maidana or Garcia to hit them, they would all be knocked down or out. Even against Prescott, Khan was caught in the exact same way and was knocked out. This is not to say Khan has a strong chin as he does not, but I don’t think the issue is with Khan’s chin as much as it is his defensive skills and mentality.
Khan’s new trainer Virgil Hunter has shown what he is capable of with Andre Ward. The one great quality about Ward is he is never in range to be hit. He is out of range working on the outside yet when he comes in he is too close to be caught cleanly. This is the one big thing that Khan needs to learn.
Defence is not just putting your hands up, but it is the ability to throw combinations in a way whereby you are not open to any shots and this is one of Khan’s biggest mistake, when he does go in with a flurry of punches, he never stops to think what if I miss? At world level the likelihood is you will miss and with Khan he is wide open with his chin in the air when he does.
It has been fascinating to see the build up to the fight with Hunter literally teaching Khan that he can throw combinations with his chin down and not square on. If Khan can rectify the issue of not leaving himself totally open and not taking so many clean shots, half the battle is already won. Khan also needs to learn to use the ring more. When he has been pressurized by the likes of Peterson, he has never used his sharp footwork to get out of trouble.
Again using the ring is not just bouncing round and round the ring, there is smartness about it which requires footwork and speed which Khan has in abundance but simply does not use. Khan tends to go round and round and then get caught on the ropes yet decides to stay there and try to trade, and this leads on to the one big thing Khan needs to fix…his mentality.
Khan’s mentality is baffling and goes a long way to explaining why people question his ability so much. It takes a special fighter to stand in front of the media and say I am a superstar in the sport. It is this stupid mentality he takes into the ring. People have questioned his chin and as a result there seems this need for Khan to always prove he can take a shot, to prove how fast he is, to prove he can knock people out etc.
Any criticism becomes personal for Khan and he seems hell bent on proving people wrong in the totally wrong way. Floyd Mayweather has taken criticism that he is too defensive and does not go for the knock out enough yet he has maintained his style and has never needed to prove nothing to anyone as he has all the self belief he needs, and this is the sign of a boxer who is a superstar.
The likes of Mayweather, Marquez, Pacquiao, Cotto etc all have nothing to prove as they believe in themselves to the full and this is what makes them top class boxers. Khan can’t be a superstar until he has full belief in himself and stops the mentality he takes with him in and out of the ring.
To self proclaim yourself King Khan is easy but to live up to it is another matter. For me I genuinely believe Khan can go all the way if he listens to Hunter and curbs the mentality. The question is can he do this? Can he really add the defensive side to his game and can he really find full belief in himself? Only time will tell, but whatever the outcome the one thing that is assured is that there will be excitement along the way.
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