Khan Is Espn's 'one To Watch'

[Gorguruga]

Well St Clair had lost 5 times in 39 fights and had never been KO'd so it was always thought Khan would have to absorb some punches, but I don't think he got caught more than expected, if anything less. It's true that Khan's defence needs to improve but he did use a high guard at some points in the St Clair fight and took many punches on his gloves or forearms.

Khans defence is improving as each fight transpires and the Limond performance I think was a result of nerves more than anything. It was Khan's first title fight and he was visibly nervous when he first stepped in the ring which lasted until he got floored. After that he very quickly got rid of the nerves and turned the fight around completely.

Khan's presence in the British media has been more substantial than other young professional in the history of the sport and he carries that burden with him in every fight. He has a lot to live up to and the pressure clearly took it's toll in the Limond fight but he still persevered and won.

[Mugwump]

I agree that the public and media pressure on Khan's shoulders is tremendous. Fortunately he seems to be pretty level-headed. I don't think he's likely to press the self-destruct button outside of boxing.

I did notice his high guard. It was a significant improvement on his earlier fights. The problem is he gets tagged far too often on the counter punch. He's got to make himself harder to hit before he takes on guys who put some meat into their shots. If he doesn't he'll be in for some hard nights.