By Gerardo Granados: Last Saturday July 11 at the Sundome Tampa, Florida; undefeated WBA Welterweight belt holder Keith Thurman W26(22)-L0-D0 defeated southpaw Luis Collazo W36(19)-L7-D0 when the challenger refused to continue and retired on the seventh round due a cut that didn’t allow him to see. After the fight ended there was a buzz on internet on how Khan was better than Thurman because he have looked better against Collazo, but I think those arguments are not valid.
When a hard punch lands there are not many things you can do about it except to react to it. What happens after the punch lands proves many things, either you have heart and show it or you lose your poise and composure and end up retreating into survival mode.
Be it if the fighter goes down or his knees are buckled what happens after a solid clean shot is really important. Some fighters have a granite chin and can walk thru vicious punches; others have the capability to absorb a huge amount of punishment without even blink, and a few have an innate ability to recover as fast as they got hurt. But when the liver gets hit flush the fight will end.
You can try to slip a punch, to block it or to roll with it; but sometimes you simply can’t avoid to get hit flush. Maybe you simply didn’t saw the punch coming, perhaps your sharp reflexes weren’t enough to move you out of the way or you just make a mistake and your opponent make you pay for it just as Collazo did at the end of the fifth round when he landed a shot to the body that clearly hurt Thurman.
I think that to compare Khan and Thurman performances against Collazo cannot determine who is better and the only way to find out is to see them fight each other. Khan defeated Collazo by UD12. Amir´s hand speed troubled Collazo and Keith doesn’t have the same speed, but Thurman a better puncher have not been criticized to have a suspicious chin while Khan´s chin is an enigma for me.
It’s like to determine Thurman is better because Khan was knocked out by Breidis Prescott back in 2008. It might have been a lucky punch or the best fight for Prescott but that bout cannot determine how good Khan really is. Amir showed a lot of heart on his loss to Danny Garcia and I can’t see him quitting against Thurman even if he is really hurt or fighting with one eye.
Keith was in control thru the fight and Collazo might have won only one round by the time he quit so I don’t see any reason to be too critical about One Time performance. But I have to admit I didn’t like the fight that much and was wrong when I thought it was going to be an easy night for Thurman.
British fans feel that Khan is better while Americans fans feel Thurman is better; both side post arguments to support their countryman but there might be only one way to find out who the best of both is, and that is to see them fight.
Can the reader guess what would happen once a clean punch landed between Thurman and Khan? Can you assure the outcome of that potential bout? Would you bet one thousand notes based on the comparison of both against Collazo?
Did the Collazo fight prove Amir Khan is better than Keith Thurman?
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