Comments Thread For: Amir Khan on Fighting Maidana, Bradley: Leaving The UK

[BoxerDood]

He's made some good points. I agree 100% about choosing Paulie as his debut. It was the best choice. Its not like Paulie is a bum or anything. But Bradley is fighting the Ortiz-Campbell winner next, so he needs to fight Alexander next. They're pretty much going to war for the #2 spot (I guarantee Khan will reclaim the spot after May 15th) and what's a better way to solidify it than unifying your titles?

Make Khan vs Alexander happen next! That fight is dead even. I don't think Khan's chin is as bad as people think it is. The move up to 140 definitely helped it out.

[PrettyBoy22]

Khans made a good move on the business and boxing side picking Paulie as his first fight. Paulie is a good fighter- people are foregetting this. I'd say Paulie is a bigger test than Maidana actually.

Khan can clean out the 140 division by the end of 2011 and then move to 147. Malignaggi, Bradley and Alexander better watch out.

[MurderDeathKill]

Both Maidana and Bradley KO Khan.

[flexxx145]

Devon will shatter Khans fine china chin.

[Dave Rado]

Hi Terence

Thanks for the reads and comments guys. Last time I interviewed Khan I was named and shamed for not asking the big questions, IE Bradley/Maidana, I ask, he gives a full and honest answer, yet gets slammed by a few. Crazy.

Thanks for asking those questions. But I do feel some of his answers were very disingenious.

In the interview he said:

Maidana is a fighter who can’t sell tickets and Golden Boy put these two fights (Maidana and Malignaggi) to me and there wasn’t enough in the Maidana one, I may as well have fought in England, so there is a lot more in this one.

That statement is extremely disingenious because:

a) It ignores the fact that he didn't buy Maidana off just for one fight: he (or rather GBP) bought Maidana off for three fights. They told Maidana that if he stepped aside and didn't enforce his mandatory status for three fights, he could have three guaranteed HBO slots; whereas if he enforced his mandatory status, Khan would vacate his title, and they wouldn't give him any HBO slots at all.

b) It's simply untrue to claim that a fight against Maidana wouldn't sell. Maidana knocked out GBP's most hyped prospect in front of a large HBO audience in a fight of the year candidate less than a year ago, and his fight against Cayo was also on HBO and had a large audience. Bradley and Alexander have been practically fighting each other over who gets to fight Maidana first - is Khan really saying that Maidana isn't a big enough draw for him to fight but is a big enough draw for Bradley and Alexander???? If so, does he have any idea how ridiculously arrogant and pompous that makes him sound? Both Bradley and Alexander have far better resumes than Khan has and are both bigger names in the States than he is. But he thinks what's good enough for them is beneath him????

I admit Malignaggi is more well known than Maidana in the States right now, but we're not talking about him fighting Malignaggi followed by Maidana, we're talking about him not fighting Maidana for at least three fights, and if Bradley beats Maidana, which he almost certainly will, Khan probably won't ever fight Maidana.

Plus Maidana is Khan's mandatory. Real champions fight their mandatories. Paying Maidana to step aside for one fight was understandable and acceptable. But paying him to step aside for three fights while still calling himself a world champion is an insult to all boxing fans.

Plus Roach has gone on record many times saying that Maidana is an extremely dangerous opponent for Khan, and that he doesn't want Khan to fight him yet, and that if he was forced to take that fight, he'd vacate.


Then Khan said:

“Maidana is fighting Timothy Bradley so I could fight the winner of that one before the end of the year. I’m not avoiding anyone. I am waiting for the best time and for when it makes sense as a business,” insisted Khan.

After GBP paid Maidana to step aside for three fights, they approached first Alexander and then Bradley, to try and make a fight between Maidana and one of them. Everyone expects either Bradley or Alexander to be able to outbox Maidana, although he's likely to be a very tough opponent for both. But Khan-Maidana is generally regarded as a pick 'em fight, because of Khan's chin. GBP's strategy is clearly to make sure that Khan never has to fight Maidana - they're hoping Bradley will beat him (as he almost certainly will), and then they'll claim there's no reason for Khan to fight him any more (and Maidana would probably lose his mandatory status if he loses to Bradley).

Sure, he talks about money but not in a particularly garish way. Simply points out that these fights will be worth more down the line and that there is a time and place for them, certainly not his first US soil appearance.

That completely misses the point. The point he's persistently sidestepping is that he didn't pay off Maidana for one fight, he paid him off for three fights. If he'd paid Maidana to step aside for one fight on the basis that the Khan-Malignaggi winner would fight the Maidana-Cayo winner in his next fight, just like Valuev paid Ruiz to step aside for one fight so he could fight Haye first, no one would have had any complaints at all.

Khan makes valid points about Maidana, take out the Ortiz choke job, and Ortiz did choke, and he looks a very beatable fighter.

Ortiz choked because (after a good start) he was being battered from pillar to post. Maidana may look crude, but he always finds a way to land his punches, no matter who the opponent. Foreman looked crude - but he's now regarded as an ATG. Maidana isn't another Foreman, I'm just using him as an analogy to illustrate a principle. Maidana is an extremely effective pressure fighter with a huge punch, and unlike you (apparently), Roach regards him as an extremely high risk fight for Khan, and that's the real reason Khan isn't fighting him.

People also forget the Kotelnik thing when comparing Khan and Maidana. Styles/fights etc but if Kotelnik can out-box Maidana, though in a quite staid fashion, then Khan can also.

Kotelnik didn't outbox Maidana, he won a very narrow decision, and the vast majority of fight reports at the time scored it narrowly to Maidana. It wasn't exactly a robbery, because no very close fight can ever be called that, but hardly any boxing writers at the time scored it to Kotelnik.

And styles do make fights. Kotelnik has a granite chin and a very good defence, which is why he was able to survive Maidana's pressure - but he was still tagged repeatedly with punches that would have seriously tested Khan's chin.

Kotelnik's style, on the other hand is simply made for Khan. He uses a turtle-shell defence and can't launch an offence until his opponent stops punching. That style simply doesn't work against fast fighters with good footwork and a high workrate - hence the one-sided nature of the Abraham-Dirrell, Winky Wright-Williams and Clottey-Pacquiao fights.

But Khan's chin and defence are still pretty much untested since the Prescott debacle, which means that of all his possible opponents, Maidana is the biggest risk to him right now, at least as far as the risk of being knocked out is concerned. Maidana is the opponent who, more than any other, can provide the answer to all the questions about Khan's chin and defence. Also the questions about his stamina. In the last couple of rounds against Kotelnik, Khan looked very tired and was basically in survival mode, yet Kotelnik is not a big puncher. His stamina has never been tested for 12 rounds against a genuine pressure fighter who can punch, and there are good reasons for thinking that his stamina might be suspect in that situation.

Whoever brought up Shuler made a great call. One of my favourite single round KOs and a proper dismantling by Hearns. Shuler died shortly after so never got the chance to rebuild.

If Khan isn't ready to face a big puncher yet, then he shouldn't call himself a world champion - he should vacate. Real World Champions don't duck opponents simply because they think they're too high risk - and his money excuse simply doesn't wash, because if that's all it was about, he'd have agreed to fight the Maidana-Cayo winner immediately after the Malignaggi fight, just like Haye and Valuev agreed to fight Ruiz after their fight.

I don't object to prospects being brought on at the right pace, I just object to prospects calling themselves world champions. Buying Maidana off for three fights was corrupt, sick, cowardly, and makes a mockery of the sport of boxing.

And your bringing up Shuler simply exposes the fact that in your heart of hearts, you know damned well this isn't about money at all. It's about Khan not being considered ready by his promoter and trainer to fight anyone who has a big punch. Plus you wouldn't have had any reason to bring up Shuler unless you really agreed that Maidana is a very dangerous opponent for Khan, and anything but the easy opponent you imply he would be.

Yes, boxing is a business. But it's also a sport. And in any real sport, the best compete against all comers. This whole episode has been a black mark for the sport of boxing, comparable with the worst corrupt shenanigans of the 50s and 80s.

[The_Demon]

Khan isnt ready for the desert storm yet imo

he needs to beat malignaggi and then face a puncher,preferably maidana-although i think bradley will derail his plans

I like the idea of a super 6 at 140 but I think within the next 12 months the LWW division will be a lot clearer,with khan,bradley and alexander as the top 3-hopefully they can sort out some sort of 3 way tourney between them,could well be wishful thinkin though

[Iceta Lives]

This **** is weak. Now I know that this dude isn't interested in fighting the best for sure. I thought this clown was guaranteed over a million a fight regardless of his opponent everytime out. So what is his problem with fighting the best? The title holders are gonna bring him more money than fighting some no namer. Granted, Paulie isn't a no namer. But what other featherfisted opponent at 140 is a big name besides Paulie? You can't tell me that he'll be making more money fighting bums than fighting the A listers like Bradley, Alexander, and Maidana. That's like saying that Lopez would get more money for fighting Mtwaga than Gamboa or Caballero. Khan is a joke.

[Corelone]

He wants to look good beating Paulie? Paulie may not be all that, but he will make Kahn come looking for him and that never looks good. Make him stink Paulie. Take him school and pick his pockets.

[Bogs]

The headline for this article is wrong. It should read:

Khan on NOT fighting Maidana.