By Chris LaBate
Trainer Freddie Roach expects his boxer, WBA 140-pound champion Amir Khan, to be stronger and more resilient at 147-pounds. Khan is going to move to 147 in early 2012. He plans to make one final defense of his junior welterweight crown in December. At 135-pounds, Khan went down in a few fights and he was knocked out in less than a minute by Breidis Prescott in 2008.
Since the move to 140, Khan has been stronger and he seems to take a better punch. Roach believes Khan will be stronger and his chin will more solid with a jump to welterweight.
"He was struggling to make weight at 135. Sometimes when you struggle to make weight, you don't take punches that well. Since going to 140, he takes punches better and he's more resilient, and I think if he goes to 147 he'll be even more resilient," Roach said.
"I think he will handle the power [at 147] no problem and he has the power to move up to those divisions. He does have power and speed in both hands. That could be our next option [to move to 147] or close to it. Because at 140, he makes it pretty easy right now, but it's starting to be a little bit of a struggle."
