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I’m still trying to figure out what WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KO’s) hopes to prove in taking on and perhaps beating a fighter like former International Boxing Federation light welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KO’s) next month on May 15th at Madison Square Garden, in New York. I see this fight as a foxhole for Khan, a place to hide while the top guys like WBA light welterweight interim champion and WBO lightweight champion Timothy Bradley fight it out. That should have been Khan’s fight, not Maidana.
Khan is the full champion in the WBA and he should be the one looking to take on Bradley. But in facing Malignaggi, there’s much to gain for Khan in beating him. Malignaggi was already beaten by Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton and Juan Diaz, and isn’t one of the top guys in the division anymore. The time has passed him by and while Malignaggi may still be a ranked #1 by the WBO, he’s probably no better than number #9 or 10 in the division at this point. Khan is being matched up with the light hitting Malignaggi in order for Khan to look good in front of the U.S. crowd, who will be seeing him for the first time.
With the boxing knowledge of the casual fans being basically a big zero, Khan might actually convince some of them that he’s another Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Roy Jones Jr. in the making. The problem with that is what happens when Khan is eventually matched against the best fighters in the division like Devon Alexander, Maidana and Bradley? Malignaggi is one of the top fighters, but there’s a big difference him and guys like Maidana, Bradley, Alexander and a number of other top contenders who would all likely beat and knock him out if given the chance.
Unless Khan’s promotional company plan on avoiding these fighters for the next year or two while they continue to match him against weak punchers, there’s going to be a big shock when Khan is put in with one of those guys and gets knocked cold. I don’t happen to be believed the theory that Khan’s chin has suddenly gotten better since he moved up in weight to the light welterweight division. I think gaining weight won’t make a big of difference when Khan starts getting pounded by one of those aforementioned fighters.
The reason Khan has done well recently is because he’s taken on Andriy Kotelnik and Dmitri Salita since moving up to light welterweight last year, two weak punchers and neither which much hand speed. Those guys were made for Khan to beat. People keep saying that Khan will be fighting Maidana next, and that he’s only fighting Malignaggi now to look good in his first fight in the United States. I don’t believe that at all.
I hope I’m wrong, but my guess is that Khan will be put in with another older fighter like Nate Campbell next instead of Maidana, Bradley or Alexander. And sadly, I think the American public will start to like – not love – Khan like he thinks they will. But I don’t see it as something that can be sustained for long. Eventually, Khan will have to be put in with one of those fighters for him to continue to pick up more and more fans.
He can’t be guided against weaker opposition forever without losing his WBA title by having it stripped from him for not fighting Maidana or Bradley. Maidana might get beaten in his next fight, which will get Khan off the hook for having to fight him. However, Bradley would then take Maidana’s WBA interim light welterweight title, and then it would be him that’s bearing down on Khan and not Maidana. Either way, Khan has the dim looking prospect of having to face either Bradley or Maidana in the near future and will have to make a decision whether it’s worth it to fight them – and likely lose badly by knockout – or to give up his WBA title when he’s done milking it and has to fight Maidana or Bradley in order not to be stripped.
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Khan is the full champion in the WBA and he should be the one looking to take on Bradley. But in facing Malignaggi, there’s much to gain for Khan in beating him. Malignaggi was already beaten by Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton and Juan Diaz, and isn’t one of the top guys in the division anymore. The time has passed him by and while Malignaggi may still be a ranked #1 by the WBO, he’s probably no better than number #9 or 10 in the division at this point. Khan is being matched up with the light hitting Malignaggi in order for Khan to look good in front of the U.S. crowd, who will be seeing him for the first time.
With the boxing knowledge of the casual fans being basically a big zero, Khan might actually convince some of them that he’s another Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Roy Jones Jr. in the making. The problem with that is what happens when Khan is eventually matched against the best fighters in the division like Devon Alexander, Maidana and Bradley? Malignaggi is one of the top fighters, but there’s a big difference him and guys like Maidana, Bradley, Alexander and a number of other top contenders who would all likely beat and knock him out if given the chance.
Unless Khan’s promotional company plan on avoiding these fighters for the next year or two while they continue to match him against weak punchers, there’s going to be a big shock when Khan is put in with one of those guys and gets knocked cold. I don’t happen to be believed the theory that Khan’s chin has suddenly gotten better since he moved up in weight to the light welterweight division. I think gaining weight won’t make a big of difference when Khan starts getting pounded by one of those aforementioned fighters.
The reason Khan has done well recently is because he’s taken on Andriy Kotelnik and Dmitri Salita since moving up to light welterweight last year, two weak punchers and neither which much hand speed. Those guys were made for Khan to beat. People keep saying that Khan will be fighting Maidana next, and that he’s only fighting Malignaggi now to look good in his first fight in the United States. I don’t believe that at all.
I hope I’m wrong, but my guess is that Khan will be put in with another older fighter like Nate Campbell next instead of Maidana, Bradley or Alexander. And sadly, I think the American public will start to like – not love – Khan like he thinks they will. But I don’t see it as something that can be sustained for long. Eventually, Khan will have to be put in with one of those fighters for him to continue to pick up more and more fans.
He can’t be guided against weaker opposition forever without losing his WBA title by having it stripped from him for not fighting Maidana or Bradley. Maidana might get beaten in his next fight, which will get Khan off the hook for having to fight him. However, Bradley would then take Maidana’s WBA interim light welterweight title, and then it would be him that’s bearing down on Khan and not Maidana. Either way, Khan has the dim looking prospect of having to face either Bradley or Maidana in the near future and will have to make a decision whether it’s worth it to fight them – and likely lose badly by knockout – or to give up his WBA title when he’s done milking it and has to fight Maidana or Bradley in order not to be stripped.
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