By Matty Buckland: What next for Amir Khan (27-3, 19 KO’s) if he fails to deliver this upcoming Saturday night against Julio Diaz (40-7-1, 29 KO’s) in Sheffield, UK? Khan has had a career full of highs and lows and, at the young age of 26, Khan is already trying to rebuild his career after the devastating knockout defeat to Danny Garcia and his point’s loss to Lamont Peterson.
Khans’ career started with a stellar amateur background culminating in an Olympic silver medal. His professional career started off very well before a shock defeat to the relatively unknown Breidis Prescott put a few doubts in a lot of people’s minds.
Khans been found out a few times now with his suspect chin by both Danny Garcia and Prescott.
Khan has been rocked on a number of occasions by lesser fighters too and one has to wonder that, with all the great boxing attributes that Khan possesses, has he gone as far as he can or can he compete at the next level? Reading that you might think to yourself hang on Khans an ex world champion. But let’s be honest, with the amount of belts there are out there and the way boxers careers are steered by there promoters, seems like anyone half decent can pick up a title.
I’m not taking anything away from Khan though, he’s a fine boxer. Has tremendous speed and has respectable power. But he doesn’t always stick to the game plan and box, he likes to stand toe to toe and this is his main problem. Khan doesn’t do well when he gets tagged. If he uses his boxing skills and speed I feel he can compete with the best, to a certain degree anyway. He does seem to put bums on seats and one way or another he is always on most boxing analyst’s lips when talking about current fighters. In the UK though Khan hasn’t been taken to the publics’ hearts like how Ricky Hatton or Carl Froch is.
Khan is a bit of a boxing enigma, he gets people talking, boxing fans watch his fights, but they tend not to root for him. Love him or loathe him I think, win or lose, Khan will still get pay per view status. But how long that will last if he doesn’t start winning I don’t know? Khan desperately wants the big fights, like with Floyd Mayweather, and become a top pound for pound fighter. He needs to string together a few decent wins and get a major title back and move up to welterweight.
This and the light middleweight division is where all the big names are hanging around nowadays and where the boxing public seem to be most interested given the exception of maybe the middle and super middleweight fighters. Khan needs to adjust his game and getting rid of Freddie Roach could be a master stroke or the biggest mistake of his career. I wait with bated breath.
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