By Albert Choi: With the recent talk about Amir Khan (28-3-0, 19 KO’s) being the favorite to land the fight against pound for pound king, Floyd “Money” Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs). I found it quite confusing how Khan has even been in the discussion for the fight based on what he has done in the past year or so. Let me explain.
Being a 17-year-old child from Bolton, England, Amir Khan was the only fighter who represented the U.K. in boxing at the 2004 Athens Games, where he impressively won a silver medal. After his Olympic triumph, Amir Khan was groomed to be boxing’s next superstar. Charismatic, skillful, and Muslim, Khan was marketed into the next big thing in boxing. Winning his first 18 fights without much trouble, Khan was tested at certain times; specifically in a bout against Willie Limond.
Khan was not only gaining recognition as a fighter, but his celebrity status was also skyrocketing with endorsements, interviews, etc. Then came Khan’s fight against hard-hitting Colombian Brendis Prescott. Going into the fight as a favorite, many people also thought that Khan had to be wary of Prescott’s punching power. The fight ended in 58 seconds where Khan got knocked out.
This would be a recurring thing that happens throughout Amir “King” Khan’s career where Khan would go in the fight as a heavy favorite but end up with a disappointing loss. Now being 26 years old, Amir Khan is now being one of the favorites to land a fight against Pound for Pound King, Floyd “Money” Mayweather.
The reason as to why people are discussing this fight is something that I cannot understand. Lets look over Amir Khan’s recent history; A controversial loss to Lamont Peterson (31-2-1, 16 KOs), where people are on both sides whether or not Khan won or loss the fight, a knockout loss to reigning Super Lightweight Champion, Danny “Swift” Garcia (27-0-0, 16 KOs) last year where Khan was a huge favorite to win, and his last two fights that put him against the fighters, Carlos Molina, a blown up lightweight, and Julio Diaz, a fighter who is way passed his prime but still managed to knock down Khan.
Even with this, people still think Khan has a shot at defeating Mayweather and even Khan believes it in himself. There is nothing wrong with having confidence, but it is arrogant of Khan when he constantly uses twitter and the media to “explain” how he is going to defeat Mayweather when he has nothing to show for it when it comes to his resume as a fighter.
For instance, Khan always uses the example of his hand speed as a key to defeating Mayweather. Yes, Khan has the fastest hand speed in the game right now, but Mayweather’s hand speed isn’t that far off despite being 36 years old. Another thing Khan mentions often is the fact that he has the boxing mind to outthink the pound for pound king. I’m sorry, but if Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson can give Khan a tough time in terms of boxing IQ, then there is no way on earth, Khan will out-think Mayweather. The one argument I will give to people about Khan is the fact that he is exciting.
I absolutely agree with the claim, nonetheless, there is no way I am paying 60 to 70 dollars to watch a fight where I absolutely know Khan will get knocked out no matter how entertaining Khan is. The reason why fighters like Hatton and even Alvarez gave the fight against Mayweather a lot of hype is because of the fact that they were undefeated and looked impressive all the way up to the fight with Mayweather.
Lastly, the idea that Khan is a boxing “superstar”, (I believe) is more based on the fact that he won a silver medal for great Britain as a 17 year old and being a Muslim athlete. Not to say that he hasn’t accomplished anything, but when Khan starts comparing himself to the Mayweathers and Pacquiaos of the world, Khan needs to start making impact in the professional boxing world. Overall, Khan is a classic example of an athlete who gets hyped and labeled a “superstar” based more on his surroundings rather than what he has accomplished in the sport.
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