Insider Notebook: Khan-Maidana, Donaire, Soto-Rios, More

By Robert Morales (photo by Chris Cozzone/FightWireImages)

Fans and experts alike may be surprised at what transpires Saturday when Amir Khan tries to successfully defend his super lightweight title against Marcos Maidana at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. It could be a war, as some are suggesting. But Khan and his trainer, Freddie Roach, intimated last week at Roach's Wild Card Gym in Hollywood that may not be the case.

Going toe-to-toe against a very hard puncher like Maidana basically does not fit into their game plan, so they said. 

"Against Maidana, I think you have to be smart," Khan said. "You have to pick the right shots, hit and move, hit the angles. You know, a lot of people think I'm going to be running for the 12 rounds, but that's not my style. I'll be hitting him, and hitting angles. Like Manny Pacquiao did against (Antonio) Margarito. It's going to be the same outcome. Hit and move, hit angles, use the skills and just don't get involved. That's not my fight.

"I'm going to fight my fight, I'm going to play my game. I''m not going to fight him in his own game by standing there and trading shots. What I have good, what my assets are, hit and move and hit angles. That's what's going to win me the fight."

Roach gave a somewhat detailed plan of attack.

"Basically for this fight we're working on not falling into the box because this guy's got a very good right hand at short range," Roach said. "Fighting him at our distance, moving to Maidana's left. ... He's got a decent left hook, but the right hand is his big money shot. So we have the game planned out and he's doing really well with the game plan and I expect him to dominate the fight."

Two Wise Moves

The way Khan sees it, two things were not on his side when he was knocked out by Breidis Prescott in the first round in September 2008 in Manchester, England.

He was struggling to make the 135-pound lightweight limit, yet he was so big at that weight he thought he was invincible and made the mistake of not recognizing what Prescott could do if he were caught by the hard-hitting Colombian.

"I killed myself making 135 pounds, but I still made it," said Khan, who is 5-foot-10. "I remember walking into fights and I'd feel weak. And I used to think, you know, 135 pounds is my division, I want to win a world title at that weight. But then when I come to Freddie, Freddie told me, 'It's not a good division for you. You kill yourself making weight.' I'm a big lightweight at that time, I'm a big light welterweight.

"So, he said, 'You move up in weight and I think you'll be a better fighter.' And that's what we did. As soon as we moved up five more pounds (to 140), I felt more comfortable at that weight. I'm not killing myself making weight."

Khan came to Roach after the loss to Prescott and his gone 5-0 with three knockouts since. After his second fight with Roach, he made the move to super lightweight on his way to winning the championship with a unanimous decision over Andriy Kotelnik in July 2009. It was the best move for Khan, who fought the first 10 fights of his pro career above 135 and as high as 138 1/2.

But Khan knew it was more than a weight issue he needed to address. He said he lost some track of some of what made him a terrific amateur and a highly touted contender ahead of his shocking loss to Prescott.

"Me and Freddie have been working on defense, offense, you know, how to box a fighter and how to fight a boxer," said Khan, who said losing to Prescott was the best thing because it led him to Roach. "We've been working on new strategies, new skills. And it's all about not fighting with the heart. You know, I'm a fighter, you always fight with the heart. What Freddie has taught in me is to control myself a little bit more. So when I'm fighting, I'm more thinking about everything.

"It's my skills that got me this far, so I need to use my brains a little bit more instead of fighting with my heart. If you look at when I went to the Olympics and won the silver medal, it was the skill that got me that far, not the heart. And I know you do need heart in boxing because when you get hit you want to come back stronger. But sometimes if you show too much heart you can get hurt."

Khan, 24, said he believes that was what happened against Prescott.

"I think when I had that defeat I think I showed too much heart, you know, trying to fight a big puncher," he said. "I think that's wrong. So that's what I learned from Freddie. Freddie made me understand what to do, what not to do in a boxing fight. The main things I forgot about. I forgot about the defense, I forgot about using the basic shots, the skills. I think about everything before I do anything."

In other words, Roach said, "Just trying to improve on his boxing skills and not taking chances."

Khan said taking chances is what other fighters have done against Maidana. That's why they are getting stopped inside the distance by the hard-hitter from Argentina, Khan said. Maidana (29-1, 27 KOs) has a 90 percent knockout ratio.

"It's a tough fight regardless," said Khan, who is 23-1 with 17 knockouts. "It's a fight that everyone wants to see. You got a boxer versus a fighter. You've got a big puncher. And I've been watching his previous fights against previous opponents. I see the mistakes they make against Maidana; they try to fight him and that's why you get knocked out."

Maidana Not Expecting Khan To Go Toe-To-Toe

Making an appearance at the Nov. 27 lightweight title fight between Juan Manuel Marquez and Michael Katsidis was Maidana. Speaking with a handful of reporters in the media center at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, he made it very clear he does not expect Khan to engage him in a slugfest. 

"I don't think he's a fighter who is going to stay with me punch for punch," Maidana said. "I hope he does."

Maidana touched on several topics. He said he is not necessarily making big money from this fight, "But if I win, then I'll be in the money."

Looking back on his thrilling sixth-round stoppage of Victor Ortiz in June 2009 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Maidana suggested that was a victory he had to have.

"I was coming off a loss to Kotelnik," Maidana said of his split-decision setback to then-world champion Kotelnik in February 2009 in Germany. "That fight (against Ortiz) made me very happy because it put me back in the picture. If I would have lost, I would have regressed." 

Maidana, 27, won the interim title against Ortiz and has defended it three times. But he wants the real thing - Khan's permanent belt. 

"I am the interim champion and I want to be the full champion of the WBA," he said.

Schaefer's Two Cents

Maidana and Khan both fight under the Golden Boy Promotions banner. Richard Schaefer,  Golden Boy CEO, said a hard right cross isn't the only thing Maidana brings to the dance. He also brings a lot of heart, which he demonstrated in a big way during his TKO of Ortiz. Maidana was down three times before turning the tables.

"That, I think, is the most dangerous weapon Marcos Maidana brings into the ring - that will to win," Schaefer said. "He is a warrior. It is a dangerous fight for Amir Khan, a dangerous fight. Then again, if Amir uses his skills and everything he's learned from  Freddie, if he uses that he can make it an easy night."

The Making of 'King Khan'

Every boxer has a story about what led him to the sweet science. Khan is no different.

"I was at the age of eight, being hyperactive as a young kid, full of energy and everything," Khan said. "My dad took me to the boxing gym just to burn the energy, not to be hit, not thinking I'm going to become a world champion. He was thinking about me just using my aggression in the right way."

Khan knew nothing about the sport.

"All I knew was a few fighters like Naseem Hamed and Muhammad Ali," he said. "So I went there and I loved it. I remember saying to my dad, 'I want to go back to the boxing gym and my dad was like, 'Oh, no, no, not today.' And I was like, 'No, no, I want to box.' I was going twice a week and it wasn't enough for me. I loved it that much. And since then I've stuck to it." 

Arum on 'Filipino Flash'

Nonito Donaire looked very strong in dispatching Wladimir Sidorenko in the fourth round Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Donaire's promoter, Bob Arum, visited press row following the event. He was asked about Donaire's performance as well as his impending fight with bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel scheduled for Feb. 19 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Arum touched on a few things, including how big Donaire looked while fighting at 118 pounds after having moved up from 115. 

"He started fighting for me at 112 and now he's 118; how big he is," Arum said. "He's like a featherweight. He out-sizes guys. I don't think he out-sizes Montiel that way. And unlike Sidorenko, Montiel can punch."

Arum, who also promotes Montiel, then took a bit of a swipe at Donaire.

"Nonito appears to maybe take too many chances," Arum said. "But maybe that's because he didn't think Sidorenko could hurt him." 

Told of his promoter's comments, Donaire smiled.

"I always take chances," he said. "That is just me. I want people to hit me. What is the point of me just trying to run and run. I want them to think they can hit me. That opens them up. People underestimate my speed. When people throw first, they think they are going to land first. But that is wrong." 

Sidorenko has just seven knockouts in 27 fights. Montiel - a real power hitter - has 33 knockouts in 47 fights. But Donaire said that won't matter if Montiel can't touch him.

"No matter how powerful you are, if you can't hit your target, it's useless," said Donaire, who referred to Montiel as a great champion. "All I can say is, it's going to be a tremendous fight."

Donaire-Montiel is slated to be televised by HBO. Arum said he was pleased the network didn't balk because these guys are bantamweights.

"HBO finally broke down and said that they knew it was a great fight," Arum said.

Soto-Rios Will Likely Have To Wait

Saturday's other big fight at Honda Center was a 12-round war between lightweight champion Humberto Soto and Urbano Antillon. Soto retained his belt with a narrow unanimous decision, but Arum said the fight was so brutal it may make him push back a tentatively scheduled fight between Soto and Brandon Rios from Feb. 26 to sometime in March.

"That's one of the fights that should be considered for Fight of the Year," Arum said of Soto-Antillon. "Now, Feb. 26 may be a little too soon to have Soto and  Rios fight."

Robert Morales covers boxing for the Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram and BoxingScene.com