By Rick Reeno
On September 10 at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, junior welterweights Paul McCloskey (22-1, 12KOs) and Breidis Prescott (24-2, 19KOs) will collide in a WBA final eliminator. The WBA's super champion at 140-pounds, Amir Khan, has faced both boxers in the past. Prescott handed Khan his only career blemish in 2009, with a first round knockout in 54-seconds. This past April, Khan won a six round technical decision over McCloskey. The fight was stopped early after a clash of heads opened up a bad cut on McCloskey.
Khan expects McCloskey to easily outbox Prescott. Regardless of the winner, securing a mandatory fight with Khan is not that simple. The winner of that eliminator will first have to face the WBA's "regular" champion at 140, Marcos Maidana, who defends that title against Robert Guerrero on August 27th. Khan, who won a tough decision over Maidana last December, picks the hard puncher from Argentina to beat both McCloskey and Prescott.
"I think it's a good fight. I think McCloskey will beat Prescott and I think that just means that he's a better fighter. I think he'll beat him quite easily and I think [McCloskey] is taking the fight, maybe just to get to me. I heard that it's a WBA eliminator or something, but first he has beat Marcos Maidana [to get to me] and I don't think either one of them could beat Marcos Maidana to get to me. [The winner has to face Maidana] because I'm the super champion," Khan told BoxingScene.com.
