By Mark Vester
UK lightweight star Amir Khan believes he finally shut up the critics that hounded him since he won an Olympic silver medal and turned pro. On Saturday night at the MEN Arena in Manchester, he used quick hand speed and accurate punching to batter Barrera for five rounds. The Mexican veteran suffered a very bad cut in the first round and it eventually forced the fight to come to a halt in the fifth. Khan walked away with a one-sided techincal decision.
"Since day one when I turned professional I've been getting criticised and today I proved everyone wrong," Khan said. I know I got beat by Breidis Prescott but that was a mistake and I really say it's a blessing in disguise what happened. Since then I've moved to Freddie Roach's gym at the Wild Card and Freddie has just changed me as a fighter. You can see the difference in me now. It was make or break for me, even Freddie said to me 'if you lose this fight you can pack your bags, forget about a world title fight'."
Roach is being called a miracle worker, with Khan presenting the appearance of a totally different fighter when he stepped in the ring with Barrera.
"The training I did in LA was to hit and move, to be sharp and be careful, be patient and get behind the jab," Khan said. "Every time in the corner Freddie said the same, 'get in the middle of the ring, use the jab and the guy won't hit you'. I shut the critics up - I hope. It was a tough fight for me but I went in there and made it easy and made it work with the performance."
Roach, who also trains the number-one pound for pound fighter in the world Manny Pacquiao, says Khan will become a future world champion.
"It was a beautiful gameplan and he really worked it well," said Roach. "He's maturing more and more all the time and he can follow these plans now - it was perfect. He'll be my next world champion for sure. I've no doubt about it."
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