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Freddie Roach has compared Amir Khan with Manny Pacquiao and believes his tough weight class could make him one of the greats.
Khan currently holds the WBA light-welterweight title and makes his second defence against Paulie Malignaggi on Saturday night on his debut in America.
The 10st division is as strong as it has ever been with American stars Nate Campbell and Victor Ortiz, who clash on the Khan-Malignaggi undercard, Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley, as well as Argentina's Marcos Maidana.
But the legendary trainer believes the toughness of the potential future opposition will only serve to add to Khan's legacy.
Such is the esteem in which the Briton is held by Roach, the master of the Wild Card Gym believes Khan is poised to follow in the footsteps of Pacquiao and achieve greatness.
Tools
"That's who people compare him to," Roach said. "In Vancouver (for Khan's training camp), my friend who owns the gym said 'Freddie, that's your next Manny'. I said 'I know'.
"People tell me that and I envision that but I don't say it too often.
"He has all the tools to do it but as Manny says to me, 'you train me and get me ready but it's up to me to win the fight'.
"And it's up to Amir to go out there and perform and win the fight, so I can only do so much."
The big-punching Maidana is in line for a tilt at Khan's WBA belt in the near future but Roach insists the team is not ducking the Argentine, merely waiting for both fighters to advance their reputations.
"I'm still preparing him but I definitely think he's ready with his amateur background and we've come a long way," Roach said. "This is our fifth fight together and he's come a long way.
"He's a talented kid but he is young, though, and everyone thinks we're ducking Maidana and these guys but that's not true.
"Make that fight a megafight, let the promoters do their job and make it a big, big fight.
"Maidana, nobody really knows in America and Amir is not really well known in America so let's build these guys up here and all over the world and they can get paid for what it's worth.
Pressure
"But it's a beautiful place to start. Madison Square Garden. Okay, it's not in the big house but it's big, it's on HBO and this is the big time.
"There's some pressure in front of a new audience but he's a performer and the pressure's good for Amir. It makes him a better fighter."
Roach insists Khan's defeat to Breidis Prescott in 2008 has been the making of him, just as an early knockout loss was the making of Pacquiao.
"Manny got knocked out twice before he was world champion," he added. "Amir was 21 when he got knocked out and he was a kid too.
"(Amir) has less room for error because at a young age he's put himself in a very hot division, packed with talent.
"But I see it as a great opportunity to have greatness. Whoever wins out of those four or five guys is going to be the next pound-for-pound king, I feel."
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,195...151578,00.html
Khan currently holds the WBA light-welterweight title and makes his second defence against Paulie Malignaggi on Saturday night on his debut in America.
The 10st division is as strong as it has ever been with American stars Nate Campbell and Victor Ortiz, who clash on the Khan-Malignaggi undercard, Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley, as well as Argentina's Marcos Maidana.
But the legendary trainer believes the toughness of the potential future opposition will only serve to add to Khan's legacy.
Such is the esteem in which the Briton is held by Roach, the master of the Wild Card Gym believes Khan is poised to follow in the footsteps of Pacquiao and achieve greatness.
Tools
"That's who people compare him to," Roach said. "In Vancouver (for Khan's training camp), my friend who owns the gym said 'Freddie, that's your next Manny'. I said 'I know'.
"People tell me that and I envision that but I don't say it too often.
"He has all the tools to do it but as Manny says to me, 'you train me and get me ready but it's up to me to win the fight'.
"And it's up to Amir to go out there and perform and win the fight, so I can only do so much."
The big-punching Maidana is in line for a tilt at Khan's WBA belt in the near future but Roach insists the team is not ducking the Argentine, merely waiting for both fighters to advance their reputations.
"I'm still preparing him but I definitely think he's ready with his amateur background and we've come a long way," Roach said. "This is our fifth fight together and he's come a long way.
"He's a talented kid but he is young, though, and everyone thinks we're ducking Maidana and these guys but that's not true.
"Make that fight a megafight, let the promoters do their job and make it a big, big fight.
"Maidana, nobody really knows in America and Amir is not really well known in America so let's build these guys up here and all over the world and they can get paid for what it's worth.
Pressure
"But it's a beautiful place to start. Madison Square Garden. Okay, it's not in the big house but it's big, it's on HBO and this is the big time.
"There's some pressure in front of a new audience but he's a performer and the pressure's good for Amir. It makes him a better fighter."
Roach insists Khan's defeat to Breidis Prescott in 2008 has been the making of him, just as an early knockout loss was the making of Pacquiao.
"Manny got knocked out twice before he was world champion," he added. "Amir was 21 when he got knocked out and he was a kid too.
"(Amir) has less room for error because at a young age he's put himself in a very hot division, packed with talent.
"But I see it as a great opportunity to have greatness. Whoever wins out of those four or five guys is going to be the next pound-for-pound king, I feel."
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,195...151578,00.html
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