By Oli Smith

The show at the M.E.N Arena in Manchester was a night of emerging talents. While Khan is sure to get all the headlines; the undercard provided a snapshot of the future of British boxing. Frank Warren’s stable of Olympians all made their third appearances in the paid ranks, each one vying for column inches over the other. Having originally been scheduled for June at the O2 Arena in London, the event action was transplanted to the M.E.N. arena, thanks to a tooth infection suffered by Kotelnik.

Just ten months previous, in the same ring, Khan was destroyed by the relatively unknown power puncher, Breidis Prescott. The Kotelnik bout represented a great turn of events for Khan, who moved up to 140lbs to challenge for the WBA world title. Much was made of Khan’s leap five pounds north of the division where he has plied most of his trade.

While certainly not devoid of talent at junior welterweight, the division is hardly stacked like 135lbs is. Kotelnik himself is no push over, but given the choice between him and a hall of fame operator like Juan Manuel Marquez, or an explosive puncher such as Edwin Valero, it could certainly be argued that the path of least resistance can be found at the junior welterweight limit. 

Kotelnik’s greatest attribute is his consistency, fighting straight up behind a tight guard he is able to break down rugged fighters. This consistency would also proved to be his downfall tonight. The first round started as predicted, Khan came out working fast, while Kotelnik looked to seize any openings that presented themselves. Amir worked behind the jab and although greatly improved, would often leave his chin hanging out over his front foot, begging for a counter that would rarely come.

The second round saw Kotelnik change up his attack, opting to walk Khan down and keep him on the back foot, whilst in theory this was a good strategy, he was unable to throw or land enough leather to implement it in practise, or reap the benefits of taking Khan into unknown territory. The third and fourth rounds all followed the same template; Khan was able to steal rounds with flashy combos. The Champion kept the rounds close with clubbing body punches and the occasional shot that would find its way onto Khan’s chin. There just simply wasn’t enough volume to justify giving rounds his way. Kotelnik’s plan was evident, walk Khan down through the middle stanzas scoring where necessary and come on strong in the championship rounds to nick a close decision.

Kotelnik just wasn’t able to engage Khan in a way that would make him fight his fight, round by round went by at Khan’s pace, and when he didn’t tire, Kotelnik became frustrated and increasingly ineffective.

The middle rounds all borrowed from the same template, each man had success, Khan answered all the questions Kotelnik asked of him, sometimes unnecessarily. Had Khan been in the ring with a fighter who hits with malicious intent, his chin may well have got a much thorough workout, as it was, it stood up the test just fine. Round nine saw Kotelnik’s best round in some time, pressurising effectively, he forced some mistakes from Khan and landed several shots flush. While he earned the challenger'ss respect and kept him honest, it did little to alter the momentum of the fight, which had all but swung Khan’s way.

As they entered the championship rounds, Khan took control again; working behind the jab and throwing combinations that he kept a high pace, one that had clearly troubled Kotelnik throughout. Knowing that his title was slipping away, Kotelnik took more risks, gambling on his offense more than ever; as such he kept the rounds close but ultimately couldn’t do enough to seal them. The twelfth and final round began with Freddie Roach’s words of caution echoing – Kotelnik will be looking for the knockout – and look he did, yet he was unable to find it. Scores of 120-108 once and 118-111 twice unanimously crowned Khan the new WBA champion of the world.

Khan certainly looked good tonight and there was no doubting that the better man had won. He was however allowed to fight his own fight for almost the entire duration – and during the times when he wasn’t – the fifth, ninth and final rounds – he lost or came very close to losing the round. Ultimately Kotelnik didn’t have enough power to impose his will on Khan, who looked noticeably bigger in the ring. The acid test will come when Khan will again face someone with formidable power, with the skill to take advantage of the mistakes that are still evident in his work, although not nearly as common.

Whilst it can be argued that he didn’t earn his shot at this title, he certainly earned the victory tonight. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here. Maidana looks likely as the mandatory defense and the mooted British super fight with Hatton could well come off. The future is full of possibilities.

The first bout on the undercard tonight was hotly tipped as being the best of the evening and featured the rugged Matthew Hall going up against long-time rival Anthony Small for the Commonwealth and vacant British Light Middleweight titles.

In the lead up to the fight, the tension was palpable between the two men, whose contrasting personalities are all but polar opposites. Hall, being quietly confident and styling himself somewhat on his hero Mike Tyson, entered the ring looking to retain his Commonwealth title against Small, who he believed had disrespected him during the build up. Small, on the other hand – referring to himself as “Sugar Ray Clay Jones Jr” – had no intentions of conceding any ground to a man he considered a stepping stone to greater things.

The opening rounds saw both men feeling the other out, Small fought to type, frustrating Hall with somewhat unnecessary showboating and willingness to spoil at close range. The champion meanwhile kept a tight guard and worked the body when possible. Hall was giving up an eight and a half inch reach advantage to the challenger, which Small used to his fullest advantage. Hall’s game is fought on the inside and Small used his physical advantages to ensure Hall endured an exasperating night.

As the third and fourth rounds ticked by, it was clear the match would become a war of attrition, both men chipping away at the other in their own way. As frustration crept in for Hall, he began to look increasingly one dimensional, unable to offer up anything new against Small, who by contrast was pulling away from the Champion, planting his feet more often and stealing rounds with the cleaner work. The seventh round saw Hall cut above his right eye, sensing the danger, there was an added urgency about his work, yet the technique remained the same, which was by this point, becoming less and less effective. By the eighth round, Small had all but figured Hall out, able to plant his feet with more conviction than ever, a furious flurry of shots bombard Hall until there was nothing left. Referee Richie Davies jumped in after two huge right hooks caught Hall flush on the temple.  Small became the new British and Commonwealth Might Middleweight Champion, much as he said he would, by violent means.

Billie Joe Saunders was the first Olympian to see action tonight against veteran Matt Skriven, who has been in over 60 bouts during his professional career. In just his third fight in the paid ranks, this fight offered a steep learning curve for Saunders who employed pressure to dissect Skriven over two rounds. Bullying his man back against the ropes Saunders unloaded with everything he had leaving the referee little choice but to step in and call a halt to the action.

Frankie Gavin was up next against Graham Fern, who turned pro at age 33 and carried with him to the ring, a record of 4-2. Although scheduled for four rounds, this was another bout that would barely make the halfway point. Although clearly over matched, Fern put on a valiant display, refusing to spoil the action or take a backwards step. During a relatively quiet period in the second round, a body hot ripped into Fern and he buckled to the canvass. Rising on the eight count, he walked into another Frankie Gavin combo, switching from body to head, he collapsed again. Although showing a willingness to continue the bout was stopped as a knockout was becoming rapidly inevitable.

The final Olympian tonight and the most controversial thus far, after an awful first outing which saw James DeGale score a decision over a foe chosen to make him look anything but bad, DeGale has been a man on a mission. Tonight saw his second first round knockout in a row. Ciaran Healy was the man unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of the beating. Catching Healy against the ropes, a volley of body shots crumbled him to his knees for the first knockdown of the bout. The follow-up assault sent Healy down again right at the sound of the bell, which happened to coincide with the towel being thrown in, and the end of the contest.

All three Olympians (or not in Frankie Gavin’s case) did what they were supposed to tonight, win emphatically. At this stage in their respective careers it is very hard to determine how far they really can go, once they start challenging for domestic honours an assessment can be made about how excited we should be getting over “the future of British boxing”.