By Cliff Rold
Big box office just got a whole lot bigger.
With potential homegrown superfights lurking just around the corner in the Jr. Welterweight class, Britain’s Amir Khan (21-1, 15 KO) successfully moved up from Lightweight and is about to find himself in some rare air. Wresting the WBA belt at 140 lbs. away from veteran Andriy Kotelnik (31-3-1, 13 KO) is only the beginning for the 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist.
The judges certainly sent him forward in style. While no one should find fault with Khan’s victory, the scores (120-108 and 118-111 twice) were a stretch. Khan got off to a roaring start but the fight got more competitive as the rounds ticked by and Kotelnik deserved more credit than he got.
Such can be the power of stardom, and Khan has a ton of that. With very little American exposure, he’s making himself one of the biggest draws in the world and showing rapid improvement under the tutelage of trainer Freddie Roach. Can the star now navigate the demanding roads ahead? What does the Kotelnik win say about it?
Let’s go to the report card.
Pre-Fight/Post-Fight Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed - Khan A; Kotelnik B/Post-Fight: Same
Pre-Fight: Power - Khan B; Kotelnik C+/Post-Fight: Same
Pre-Fight: Defense - Khan B-; Kotelnik B+/Post-Fight: Khan B+; Kotelnik B+
Pre-Fight: Intangibles - Khan B; Kotelnik B/Post-Fight: Khan A-; Kotelnik B-
Any analysis of the bout should begin with a simple acknowledgement that it was a good show. Fast paced throughout, the battle was contested at a high skill level. The pre-fight report card favored Khan in the speed and power departments but only the former was a real factor. Khan got off first most of the night and, during a strong late surge from Kotelnik, was able to rip off rapid flurries. Even if most of the punches did more damage to the front of Kotelnik’s gloves then his body and face, they could catch the eyes of judges surrounded by the booming echo of the Khan faithful at the M.E.N Arena in Manchester, England.
If power was a factor in the bout, it was in Kotelnik’s lack of. Over the second half, he was able to score with some good looking rights. They had little effect. Part of it could be Khan’s better tucked chin but most of it one could assume is found in the light knockout percentage of Kotelnik coming in. Kotelnik won only a round or two over the first eight but may have deserved all of the last four based on cleaner, more effective punching to the head and body. He needed one of those shots to get him back in the fight after a typical slow start and it didn’t happen.
Where Khan deserves healthy credit was the already referenced tucked chin and defensive approach in general. His habit of leaving his chin exposed was minimized as much as it ever has been and he used good footwork to keep out of range and control the geography of the bout.
Kotelnik deserves credit as well. For all the punches Khan threw, and he nearly tripled the attempt rate of Kotelnik, the amount he was landing decreased over the course of the fight. Kotelnik was challenged to deal with Khan’s speed, and retained difficulty in switching from offense to defense, but had he left holes he could have been carved up. He kept himself fresh into the late rounds.
Unfortunately for Kotelnik, too fresh. The path to victory wasn’t hard to figure for Khan and yet Kotelnik let him bank rounds early. He needed to get off of the blocks much faster; instead he let Khan get comfortable. Kotelnik never quit, never stopped trying to win, but he also didn’t give himself the best chance for victory.
Khan on the other hand again showed the qualities which make at least worth following. He remains chin-flawed, and was in with someone who couldn’t physically threaten him, so it will come as no shock if he gets derailed dramatically again. Still, less than one year after being concussed by Breidis Prescott, he stepped in and fought the best fight of his young career. Combine it with an ability to get off the floor every other time he’s been down, winning by stoppage when he did so, and Khan is proving more and more to be a serious pro.
It’s all which can be asked of most. Nobody’s perfect after all.
Looking Ahead
In the aftermath of this contest, the sky might be the limit for Khan but is limited for Kotelnik. This was a good little fight but nothing anyone is going to want to see again right away in the form of a rematch. At 31 he has time to do big things again but the momentum of wins over Gavin Rees and Marcos Maidana is stalled and he’ll need patience.
Khan is in an enviable position with two obvious potential stadium fights in his native land. If former titlist Junior Witter (37-2-2, 22 KO) is able to regain the vacant WBC belt against Devon Alexander (18-0, 11 KO), Khan-Witter would be potentially huge business as a unification showdown.
There’s another fight looming as well.
Former World Jr. Welterweight champion Ricky Hatton (45-2, 32 KO) is still recovering from his May 2009 loss to Manny Pacquiao but has indicated his career will continue. The biggest money, short of luring Floyd Mayweather overseas, would be in a Khan fight. Khan-Hatton is the sort of showdown which harkens back to the wild days of Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Steve Collins, and Michael Watson…but bigger.
Khan may or may not be a long term force in boxing. For now, he’s in position to be a powerful economic force for as long as he lasts.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com