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Amir Khan remains on course for showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr
Amir Khan remains on course for showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr
• Briton lines up bout against Márquez, Maidana or Casamayor
• Golden Boy keen to capitalise on growing Muslim audience
Amir Khan has lost the race to fit in a defence of his WBA light-welterweight title on 31 July before observing Ramadan in August – but he remains firmly on course for a showdown next year with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
That scenario is some way off but underpins the strategy of his American business partners, Golden Boy Promotions, whose increasingly obvious presence in the UK has already stirred the rival promoter Frank Warren to complain about the Americans cherry-picking British talent.
Khan will now fight in December against Juan Manuel Márquez, Marcos Maidana or Joel Casamayor; after that, if Mayweather fails to deliver on his half-threat to retire and goes through with his mega-fight against Manny Pacquiao in November, Khan could fight either Victor Ortiz, a rising star at 10 stone, or move up to welterweight to chase Mayweather.
As a blueprint, it looks attractive; putting it into practice could prove tough. Golden Boy were originally keen to fill the July date with a Khan fight in the UK to twin with a promotion in Las Vegas featuring Márquez in a rematch with Juan Díaz for the WBO lightweight title and WBA's "Super" version at that weight. But Khan would have to rush his preparation, as well as come to terms over an opponent.
Another name put forward as an opponent with some enthusiasm since the weekend of Khan's 11th-round stoppage of Paulie Malignaggi in New York was the tough Australian Michael Katsidis who, only hours before in London, demolished Kevin Mitchell in three rounds at lightweight for the WBO's interim title.
While parlaying that little bauble into something significant would be harder than moving up in weight to challenge Khan, the champion's connections maintain Katsidis's negotiators are asking too much at $1m (£680,000), a claim the Australian's promoters find ludicrous.
Rejecting Katsidis would seem to make as much boxing sense, though, as husbanding a much larger part of the purse for the champion. Katsidis, as he showed against Mitchell, is a dangerous opponent anywhere around 10 stone.
Khan's preference, and that of his coach Freddie Roach, is Maidana, a big puncher but a naive boxer. They reckon it would be the easiest of the main three options on offer.
However, Márquez's connections to Golden Boy give him the inside running. He lost widely on points to Floyd Mayweather Jr last year but retains a significant Latino fan base.
Whomever Khan fights, he carries with him now a growing number of Muslim fans. There were at least 2,000 among the 5,000 who paid to watch him fight Malignaggi at Madison Square Garden, and Golden Boy are keen to capitalise on this new audience.
Khan is a dedicated Muslim, who completed a 14-day pilgrimage to Mecca four years ago. "It was an amazing experience that has brought me much closer to God," he said at the time. He followed it with a trip to America to see his idol, Muhammad Ali, whose attachment to Islam sprang from more radical roots in the 60s.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010...oyd-mayweather
• Briton lines up bout against Márquez, Maidana or Casamayor
• Golden Boy keen to capitalise on growing Muslim audience
Amir Khan has lost the race to fit in a defence of his WBA light-welterweight title on 31 July before observing Ramadan in August – but he remains firmly on course for a showdown next year with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
That scenario is some way off but underpins the strategy of his American business partners, Golden Boy Promotions, whose increasingly obvious presence in the UK has already stirred the rival promoter Frank Warren to complain about the Americans cherry-picking British talent.
Khan will now fight in December against Juan Manuel Márquez, Marcos Maidana or Joel Casamayor; after that, if Mayweather fails to deliver on his half-threat to retire and goes through with his mega-fight against Manny Pacquiao in November, Khan could fight either Victor Ortiz, a rising star at 10 stone, or move up to welterweight to chase Mayweather.
As a blueprint, it looks attractive; putting it into practice could prove tough. Golden Boy were originally keen to fill the July date with a Khan fight in the UK to twin with a promotion in Las Vegas featuring Márquez in a rematch with Juan Díaz for the WBO lightweight title and WBA's "Super" version at that weight. But Khan would have to rush his preparation, as well as come to terms over an opponent.
Another name put forward as an opponent with some enthusiasm since the weekend of Khan's 11th-round stoppage of Paulie Malignaggi in New York was the tough Australian Michael Katsidis who, only hours before in London, demolished Kevin Mitchell in three rounds at lightweight for the WBO's interim title.
While parlaying that little bauble into something significant would be harder than moving up in weight to challenge Khan, the champion's connections maintain Katsidis's negotiators are asking too much at $1m (£680,000), a claim the Australian's promoters find ludicrous.
Rejecting Katsidis would seem to make as much boxing sense, though, as husbanding a much larger part of the purse for the champion. Katsidis, as he showed against Mitchell, is a dangerous opponent anywhere around 10 stone.
Khan's preference, and that of his coach Freddie Roach, is Maidana, a big puncher but a naive boxer. They reckon it would be the easiest of the main three options on offer.
However, Márquez's connections to Golden Boy give him the inside running. He lost widely on points to Floyd Mayweather Jr last year but retains a significant Latino fan base.
Whomever Khan fights, he carries with him now a growing number of Muslim fans. There were at least 2,000 among the 5,000 who paid to watch him fight Malignaggi at Madison Square Garden, and Golden Boy are keen to capitalise on this new audience.
Khan is a dedicated Muslim, who completed a 14-day pilgrimage to Mecca four years ago. "It was an amazing experience that has brought me much closer to God," he said at the time. He followed it with a trip to America to see his idol, Muhammad Ali, whose attachment to Islam sprang from more radical roots in the 60s.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010...oyd-mayweather
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