By: James Blears

World Boxing Council President Jose Sulaiman is advising dazzling prospect Amir Khan, that he’s got the whole world in his hands, but he must astutely chart his career before considering financial windfalls.

Sulaiman is speaking from ample experience. He’s been the boss of the WBC since 1975. And in that span he’s seen an horizon of champions, some of whom have retired healthy, wealthy and wise. While many more have lost their belts plus their money, and their way, becoming sadder, but wiser.

Don Jose’s opening round of advice to Olympic silver medal winner Amir, was succinct. He said:

"For his first fifteen professional fights, Amir should forget about his silver medal. Secondly…he should forget about money. Because if he’s that good, he can make multi millions.

"But I’ve known many fighters, who’ve had that, and even more, but because they were pushed before their time, they were finished before their time.

"I think they have to mould and build him up, and how is this achieved? Only in the ring! You can’t do this in the gym. He has to fight and fight and fight for modest money, until the time that he’s there, ready to go for the heights."

Don Jose who himself has an honorary doctorate, explains that to inflict top marks, Amir has to be in a class of his own. And to become a real swot, he must knuckle down and learn his craft. He put it this way:

"If you want to be a professional you have got to go to grammar school, high school and then to university. So that’s exactly what Amir should do. He’s just ended his boxing grammar school, and now he’s got to go to high school and college."

Three more years than a decade ago, another sensational prospect was a modest young man, with a great deal to be immodest about. But Oscar De La Hoya kept his feet firmly on the ground, his head out of the clouds and on his shoulders, and he’s now a multi millionaire.

Don Jose re-calls: "Oscar in the very beginning had a television company with him. And they allowed him to take minor fights, built him up and displayed his developing brilliance, and then when he was ready, they started to move him up, but very carefully."

Don Jose deftly but deferentially dismissed comparisons with Prince Naseem Hamed and without pulling his verbal critique, commented:

"Naseem Hamed was a good fighter. But he was never a great fighter. They boxed him in a way in which they found the right challengers at the right time. When they brought him real challenges he couldn’t figure them out and Marco Antonio Barrera, was only one of many who could have shown him differently.

"I speak this way with all respect to Naseem Hamed. He was not led properly. They took him to a level of mediocrity of his rivals and they left him there.

Don Jose advises that polishing the diamond that is Amir Khan requires the time tested fundamentals of: "Patience, faith, dedication, discipline, and for him not loose his composure because of pressures. Little steps, little by little, until he’s at the summit and defeats everybody else."