Amir Khan: I Achieve Nothing By Beating Maidana Again

By Ryan Burton

 

BoxingScene.com recently spoke to WBA/IBF junior welterweight champion Amir Khan.  The United Kingdom based fighter is currently in Los Angeles training for his December 10th title defense versus his IBF #1 mandatory, Lamont Peterson.

 

After the December fight Khan is planning on testing the waters in the welterweight division.  Khan hopes to land a mega-fight versus Floyd Mayweather towards the end of 2012.  Khan said that he has a long list of potential opponents if the Mayweather fight cannot be made but that a rematch with Marcos Maidana isn't in the cards.  Khan and Maidana faced each other in 2010's Fight of the Year, with Khan winning a narrow points decision.  Maidana has been verbally jabbing Khan ever since as he has so far unsuccessfully tried to entice Khan into giving him a rematch.

 

Khan feels that he doesn't gain anything by facing a fighter that he has already defeated.  He also said that he thinks Maidana is just looking at the rematch as a way to secure another big payday. 

 

"I achieve nothing by beating Maidana again.  When I beat him again people will say so what, he already had beat him before.  Deep down he knows that I beat him and I think he just wants a big payday," Khan told Boxingscene.com

 

The former Olympic silver medalist said that he learned a lot from the fight with Maidana and feels that he is a better fighter for it.  Khan's face was badly marked after the fight and since then he has soundly defeated Paul McCloskey via technical decision and Zab Judah via knockout.  He said the true way to measure the two rivals is to compare those two fights with Maidana's two fights since their encounter.  Maidana had a surprisingly tough time with the suddenly resurgent Erik Morales in April and then knocked out the relatively unknown Petr Petrov in September.  Khan didn't completley shut the door on the rematch, however.  He left the door open slightly by saying that he may look at it after he moves up to welterweight.

 

"Since the Maidana fight I think I am a better fighter.  If you look at my last two performances and his last two performances you will see a major difference.  Maybe if he moves to 147 I will fight him again and beat him again.  I know if I fight him again it will be so much easier now than before," explained Khan.