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Breidis Prescott exposes the Amir Khan myth
A shattering left hand from the unheralded Colombian Breidis Prescott after just 30 seconds at Manchester's MEN Arena on Saturday night did not merely strip Amir Khan of his senses, his unbeaten professional record and his World Boxing Organisation intercontinental lightweight title, it also confirmed the su****ions of many within the boxing world – namely, that for all his speed and power, the most hyped boxer in Britain since the self-styled 'Prince' sometimes cannot take a punch.
Down for the count: Amir Khan suffered a 54-second knockout by Colombian Breidis Prescott at the MEN Arena in Manchester
Down for the count: Khan suffered a 54-second knockout by Prescott at the MEN Arena in Manchester
Afterwards, Khan tried desperately to dispel the growing sense of panic.
"It was a ****** little mistake," he said. "I knew exactly what was going on – I ran into the shot. It has made me realise you can't get away with mistakes and it has given me a kick up the arse."
His words did not ring true, however. Khan had already had his "kick up the arse" – three of them, in fact. The Bolton-born boxer, the darling of the nation since he took silver at the Athens Olympics in 2004 as a 17-year-old, was floored by Frenchman Rachid Drilzane in 2006, by the powder-puff punching of Scot Willie Limond in 2007 and by the over-the-hill Michael Gomez in June. In other words, this defeat was an accident waiting to happen.
Khan had promised us a new, tighter fighter in Manchester, insisting that the work he was doing with his new Cuban coach, Jorge Rubio, would bear fruit. "We've been working a lot on my lateral movement and my defence," Khan said. "I'm going to work off the jab, in and out."
Breidis Prescott exposes the Amir Khan myth
A shattering left hand from the unheralded Colombian Breidis Prescott after just 30 seconds at Manchester's MEN Arena on Saturday night did not merely strip Amir Khan of his senses, his unbeaten professional record and his World Boxing Organisation intercontinental lightweight title, it also confirmed the su****ions of many within the boxing world – namely, that for all his speed and power, the most hyped boxer in Britain since the self-styled 'Prince' sometimes cannot take a punch.
Down for the count: Amir Khan suffered a 54-second knockout by Colombian Breidis Prescott at the MEN Arena in Manchester
Down for the count: Khan suffered a 54-second knockout by Prescott at the MEN Arena in Manchester
Afterwards, Khan tried desperately to dispel the growing sense of panic.
"It was a ****** little mistake," he said. "I knew exactly what was going on – I ran into the shot. It has made me realise you can't get away with mistakes and it has given me a kick up the arse."
His words did not ring true, however. Khan had already had his "kick up the arse" – three of them, in fact. The Bolton-born boxer, the darling of the nation since he took silver at the Athens Olympics in 2004 as a 17-year-old, was floored by Frenchman Rachid Drilzane in 2006, by the powder-puff punching of Scot Willie Limond in 2007 and by the over-the-hill Michael Gomez in June. In other words, this defeat was an accident waiting to happen.
Khan had promised us a new, tighter fighter in Manchester, insisting that the work he was doing with his new Cuban coach, Jorge Rubio, would bear fruit. "We've been working a lot on my lateral movement and my defence," Khan said. "I'm going to work off the jab, in and out."
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