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An interesting read. Article from boxrec.
Real bile has been spat in Amir Khan’s direction this week. An unsatisfactory six-round technical decision over Paul McCloskey at the MEN Arena on Saturday night was dampened further by scenes post-fight.
The Bolton man seemed calm and respectful at first, and to my eyes was rattled by comments from the McCloskey camp, who demanded a rematch and suggested the referee stopped the fight too early because of the cut. It was a WBA light-welterweight title shot, the chance of a lifetime, and of course Barry Hearn and son Eddie had points to make in backing their man.
But McCloskey had not won a round, he didn’t come close to making a dent in ‘King’ Khan and talk of him coming on strong in the later rounds was just that...talk. Respect to Matchroom Sport and the younger Hearn in particular, that kind of passion is what boxing needs if it’s to jab away competition from the rapidly burgeoning UFC. But telling Khan: “If you’re a man, you’ll give Paul a rematch”, as one newspaper reported, was just pathetic.
All the 2004 Olympic silver medallist did wrong is show up, put in a tepid performance - albeit a winning effort - and defend himself when ludicrous comments were thrown his way. He got pretty annoyed with some of the bluster and did what boxers do best. He talked himself up. Had it carried on the fight would have only gone one way. It was inevitable.
And don’t get me started on the Sky, Primetime, PPV debacle, that’s not Khan’s remit. The aftermath of events in Manchester saw people line the streets of Derry in support of McCloskey. Families, workers, fans and friends came out in force to voice their frustration. They felt the match-up could and should have carried on. They want to see Khan give their man another opportunity. They want ‘Dudey’ to get the respect he deserves.
I agree it was a premature conclusion, but as I’ve said, I think it would have been one-way traffic from that point onwards. He may have won a round or two - and friends of the Northern Irishman say his game plan was to come on strong later in the fight - but that’s all he would have done. He was never going to beat the champ.
The McCloskey team should look at the bigger picture. Had the fight carried on he’d have lost convincingly, almost embarrassingly, and his career would have moved two or three steps backwards. Now he’s a hero; people who had never heard of him before want to see him back in the ring as soon as possible. McCloskey has been buried under an avalanche of sympathy and respect He will make more money as a result because there will be more bums on seats, and let’s not forget he is 31.
The Dungiven stylist might be lucky and get another world title shot, but at the lower weights you don’t tend to fight on into your mid-thirties and make any lasting impact. I’m sure Matchroom will capitalise on his new-found fame and lace-up his gloves as soon as the cut has healed. They’ll want to strike while the iron is hot.
Returning to Khan, well, he is not the same fighter who lost to Breidis Prescott. He is a much better, all-round boxer. He looks more at ease with himself and, under the tutelage of the brilliant Freddie Roach, is making less mistakes. He is a deserving world champion, and if you don’t believe that go and watch his tear-up with Marcos Maidana or the clinical dismantling of Paulie Malignaggi.
Khan is quality, like him or not. And many people do not.
This week, as I said earlier, there has been some disgusting, malicious garbage thrown his way. Like Naseem Hamed before him, people want to see the 24-year-old knocked out. They say he’s too ****y, he’s “arrogant” and lacks class. I’ve met him a couple of times and that couldn’t be further from the truth. In person, Khan comes across as a confident, likeable bloke who is learning from his mistakes in and out of the ring. I wish him well for the future, though I know deep down I’m in the minority.
Nobody will ever line the streets for Khan. He’s got the world at his feet and punters can’t connect with that. But they can connect with McCloskey. The man is decent, hard-working and oozes class. I hope he gets another shot down the line.
As for Amir? Well, he’ll never be to everyone’s taste, which could be down to the British palate. If Khan (now 25-1) were to lose a few more fights, appear in a couple of TV adverts and spend six weeks in panto this winter then maybe they’d grow to love him. Sadly, that’s not going to happen.
Instead, Khan prepares now for a July showdown with the teak-tough Timothy Bradley. A real 50/50 match-up. It’s too close to call, but one thing is for sure, there’ll be thousands of boxing ‘fans’ on both sides of the Atlantic who want to see him lose.
Amir Khan will never be able to please the British boxing public will he? I have been a critic but I can't help feel sorry for Khan. Can you really blame for going to the US, and making a bigger name for himself there?
'King' Khan will never be able to please the masses.
Real bile has been spat in Amir Khan’s direction this week. An unsatisfactory six-round technical decision over Paul McCloskey at the MEN Arena on Saturday night was dampened further by scenes post-fight.
The Bolton man seemed calm and respectful at first, and to my eyes was rattled by comments from the McCloskey camp, who demanded a rematch and suggested the referee stopped the fight too early because of the cut. It was a WBA light-welterweight title shot, the chance of a lifetime, and of course Barry Hearn and son Eddie had points to make in backing their man.
But McCloskey had not won a round, he didn’t come close to making a dent in ‘King’ Khan and talk of him coming on strong in the later rounds was just that...talk. Respect to Matchroom Sport and the younger Hearn in particular, that kind of passion is what boxing needs if it’s to jab away competition from the rapidly burgeoning UFC. But telling Khan: “If you’re a man, you’ll give Paul a rematch”, as one newspaper reported, was just pathetic.
All the 2004 Olympic silver medallist did wrong is show up, put in a tepid performance - albeit a winning effort - and defend himself when ludicrous comments were thrown his way. He got pretty annoyed with some of the bluster and did what boxers do best. He talked himself up. Had it carried on the fight would have only gone one way. It was inevitable.
And don’t get me started on the Sky, Primetime, PPV debacle, that’s not Khan’s remit. The aftermath of events in Manchester saw people line the streets of Derry in support of McCloskey. Families, workers, fans and friends came out in force to voice their frustration. They felt the match-up could and should have carried on. They want to see Khan give their man another opportunity. They want ‘Dudey’ to get the respect he deserves.
I agree it was a premature conclusion, but as I’ve said, I think it would have been one-way traffic from that point onwards. He may have won a round or two - and friends of the Northern Irishman say his game plan was to come on strong later in the fight - but that’s all he would have done. He was never going to beat the champ.
The McCloskey team should look at the bigger picture. Had the fight carried on he’d have lost convincingly, almost embarrassingly, and his career would have moved two or three steps backwards. Now he’s a hero; people who had never heard of him before want to see him back in the ring as soon as possible. McCloskey has been buried under an avalanche of sympathy and respect He will make more money as a result because there will be more bums on seats, and let’s not forget he is 31.
The Dungiven stylist might be lucky and get another world title shot, but at the lower weights you don’t tend to fight on into your mid-thirties and make any lasting impact. I’m sure Matchroom will capitalise on his new-found fame and lace-up his gloves as soon as the cut has healed. They’ll want to strike while the iron is hot.
Returning to Khan, well, he is not the same fighter who lost to Breidis Prescott. He is a much better, all-round boxer. He looks more at ease with himself and, under the tutelage of the brilliant Freddie Roach, is making less mistakes. He is a deserving world champion, and if you don’t believe that go and watch his tear-up with Marcos Maidana or the clinical dismantling of Paulie Malignaggi.
Khan is quality, like him or not. And many people do not.
This week, as I said earlier, there has been some disgusting, malicious garbage thrown his way. Like Naseem Hamed before him, people want to see the 24-year-old knocked out. They say he’s too ****y, he’s “arrogant” and lacks class. I’ve met him a couple of times and that couldn’t be further from the truth. In person, Khan comes across as a confident, likeable bloke who is learning from his mistakes in and out of the ring. I wish him well for the future, though I know deep down I’m in the minority.
Nobody will ever line the streets for Khan. He’s got the world at his feet and punters can’t connect with that. But they can connect with McCloskey. The man is decent, hard-working and oozes class. I hope he gets another shot down the line.
As for Amir? Well, he’ll never be to everyone’s taste, which could be down to the British palate. If Khan (now 25-1) were to lose a few more fights, appear in a couple of TV adverts and spend six weeks in panto this winter then maybe they’d grow to love him. Sadly, that’s not going to happen.
Instead, Khan prepares now for a July showdown with the teak-tough Timothy Bradley. A real 50/50 match-up. It’s too close to call, but one thing is for sure, there’ll be thousands of boxing ‘fans’ on both sides of the Atlantic who want to see him lose.
Amir Khan will never be able to please the British boxing public will he? I have been a critic but I can't help feel sorry for Khan. Can you really blame for going to the US, and making a bigger name for himself there?
'King' Khan will never be able to please the masses.
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