by Cliff Rold
Glory is great. Cash is too.
Amir Khan is fighting for a chance at both. Already having declared that the timing of Ramadan is such that a September showdown with Floyd Mayweather is possible for him, Khan may be one fight away from what he’s been almost begging for over the last few years.
After fights against Victor Ortiz and Robert Guerrero, a common joke about Mayweather was that Andre Berto was his gatekeeper. Could Algieri be in the Berto seat this weekend? Algieri makes his first start since a bruising loss to Manny Pacquiao.
We all know what happened after Pacquiao-Algieri.
Let’s go the report card.
The Ledgers
Amir Khan
Age: 28
Title: None
Previous Titles: WBA Light Welterweight (2009-11, 5 Defenses); IBF Light Welterweight (2011)
Height: 5’8 ½
Weight: 146.4 lbs.
Hails from: Bolton, Lancashire, United Kingdom
Record: 30-3, 19 KO, 2 KOBY
Rankings: #3 (Ring), #4 (BoxingScene, TBRB), #6 (BoxRec), #7 (ESPN)
Record in Title Fights: 6-2, 3 KO, 1 KOBY
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 10 (Gairy St. Clair UD12; Marco Antonio Barrera Tech. Dec. 5; Andriy Kotelnik UD12; Paulie Malignaggi TKO11; Marcos Maidana UD12; Zab Judah KO5; Lamont Peterson L12; Danny Garcia TKO4; Julio Diaz UD12; Luis Collazo UD12; Devon Alexander UD12)
Vs.
Chris Algieri
Age: 31
Current: None
Previous Titles: WBO Super Lightweight (2014)
Height: 5’10
Weight: 146.2 lbs.
Hails From: Huntington, New York
Record: 20-1, 8 KO
Rankings: All at 140 - #3 (BoxingScene, TBRB), #6 (ESPN)
Record in Major Title Fights: 1-1
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 1 (Ruslan Provodnikov SD12, Manny Pacquiao L12)
Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Khan A+; Algieri B+
Pre-Fight: Power – Khan B+; Algieri C
Pre-Fight: Defense – Khan B; Algieri B
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Khan B+; Algieri B
This isn’t an easy fight to get excited about. It matches two men who have held titles at 140 lbs. and been in some good fights. Those good fights were in part predicated on the style of their opponents. Here, we have a guy who has to box to win against a guy who has to be careful even against someone with a low knockout percentage. Will they mix well?
It remains to be seen. Khan sometimes has battles break out in unexpected places. It’s happened his whole career, going back to his nail biter with relatively light hitting Willie Limond. Algieri doesn’t have the speed of Khan, but he’s got enough to catch him in spots and has the height advantage. He might stun Khan and get fans into the fight.
Where we have seen a change in Khan at Welterweight is his approach under trainer Virgil Hunter. The 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist showed some maturing in his last two bouts. Sure, Collazo was an eyesore and the Alexander fight wasn’t particularly memorable.
That’s not what matters here for Khan. Both fights were dominant wins, one over a still able if faded veteran and the other against a recent titlist at 147 lbs. Alexander is inconsistent and has struggled with the upper echelon but Khan’s near shutout was impressive in form.
Algieri has a lot of ground to make up after a disastrous start against Pacquiao. Many felt he was lucky to be there after a debated decision over Ruslan Provodinikov. He showed in the ring he had no business in a pay-per-view main event with one of the modern greats. Algieri has to prove here that he belongs with name talent. That might make for some risk taking. He’s not as good defensively as he is elusive on his feet in spots.
His best chance to win might be to make Khan chase him but would he get credit for it if he did? Of the two, Algieri appears to have the slightly better chin and recuperative powers. Algieri has to make that a factor for it to matter. Both men have shown guts in the ring. Khan fights back when hurt. Algieri knows how to get up and keep going.
In almost every category, Khan appears to have the edge. He hasn’t scored many stops since moving to 147, but he’s still evidently the more explosive man. Khan’s amateur background and deeper pool of opposition make him more experienced and seasoned along with the physical advantages in hand and foot speed.
Is there really a way for Algieri to win outside catching a Khan who has avoided being stopped since the loss to Danny Garcia?
The Picks
The answer is ‘probably not.’ Khan might have some issues with the length and speed of Algieri in spots. He’s going to have to press in spots and we’ve seen him hurt by smaller men with even less pop than the New Yorker. He holds more, and is more patient in general, under Hunter and that will help him if some exchanges break out. In the end, it’s a matter of class. Khan, particularly against a non-puncher, is a class above and is playing for what might be his last chance at his dream shot at Mayweather. The pick is Khan by decision, though a stoppage isn’t out of the question.
Report Card and Staff Picks 2015: 37-8
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
