Amir Khan Says He Will Not Take The “Easy Route” As Champion

[StingLikeABee]

Amir Khan has hit back at those critics who say he is a world champion who will look to fight the safest opponents possible. Next up for the once-beaten 22-year-old who now holds the WBA light-welterweight title, is a mandatory defence against the unbeaten Jewish fighter from New York, Dmitriy Salita.

And, in talking to Sky Sports, Khan has said the fight against the Ukrainian proves he is more than willing to take on the best..

“It’s a huge fight,” Khan said of his upcoming December 5th bout. “I’m the world champion and Dmitriy wants to come and take that title. It’s going to be a tough fight and a long night but hopefully my game plan will work on the night.

“This is what people want to see, they want to see Amir Khan fight tough fighters. Salita is the mandatory challenger and we’re not taking the easy route, we’re taking the hard route.”

And while most fans see Khan as a huge favourite to defeat 27-year-old Salita, it’s a fight he had to take if he wanted to keep hold of his precious belt, which he won, of course, by putting on a near master class against Andreas kotelnik back in the summer.

Khan says he plans to take care of Salita, hopefully in exciting and impressive style, and then go on to unify the belts at 140-pounds.

“I want to fight mandatories,” Khan said. “I don’t want to take short cuts. I want to fight whoever is out there. When I turned pro my ambition was to be a world champion. I’ve achieved that and now my ambition is to unify the belts and be the best fighter in my weight division. These are the fights I need if I want to become the champion I want to be.”

Of course, the fighter who carries The Star of David emblem into the ring with him sees himself upsetting all of Khan’s big plans.

“I’m very excited, I’ve been number one contender for a very long time and I’m very confident,” Salita said.

So, will Khan proceed towards the greatness he feels he can reach? Or will Salita pull off the upset in Newcastle? Either way, December’s fight promises to be intriguing and hopefully it will be a fan-friendly affair as well.

For what it’s worth, I take Khan to win on points. There could be the odd scare for him along the way (for as long as he fights, there will be some concerns about Khan’s chin), but the champion will retain for the first time by a pretty wide UD

[tyson]

That why he avoided Jon Thaxton , Jon Murray, not demanded a rematch with bredis prescott to clean slate then says Kotelnik is worst world champion in history his words.

[tonyevs]

I stopped reading when I got to this part ..

And, in talking to Sky Sports, Khan has said the fight against the Ukrainian proves he is more than willing to take on the best..

[the patriot]

I stopped reading when I got to this part ..

And, in talking to Sky Sports, Khan has said the fight against the Ukrainian proves he is more than willing to take on the best..

Who is he trying to kid

[craigjenkins05]

well if he does take the hard route he is not going to get very far lol

[Finn]

That why he avoided Jon Thaxton , Jon Murray, not demanded a rematch with bredis prescott to clean slate then says Kotelnik is worst world champion in history his words.

avoid thaxton and murray? more stupid comments, hows he avoided them? thaxton has been nothing more than a test fighter for years and murray hasnt made enough of himself to even get a ppv fight yet. If someone offered you kotelnik or barrera, well known world champions, are you going to say nah some british guys dont think im as good as murray so i'll give him a chance to make money and a career off my name in a fight i get absolutely nothing out of.

When murray makes something of himself then he has the right to call out an olympic and world champion.

Thaxton? lol

[charlieb]

What happened to Maidana?

[Finn]

What happened to Maidana?

Think thats the next match up apparently salita is the maditory.

[oliverfennell]

That why he avoided Jon Thaxton , Jon Murray, not demanded a rematch with bredis prescott to clean slate then says Kotelnik is worst world champion in history his words.

Murray at no point in his career has fought at a higher level than Khan, yet it is Khan who gets criticised for his opposition and for "ducking" Murray. Murray is older than Khan and has had more pro fights and yet hasn't achieved a fraction of what Khan has.

Murray is decent but the "Khan is ducking me" line is what the majority of his reputation is built on, and it's only the blueprint laid down by other Hennessy fighters before him - Witter/Hatton, Froch/Calzaghe and now Murray/Khan. In all three cases, the ones making the "ducking" accusations have achieved far less and are/were in less of a position to call such shots.

[Autobarn]

That why he avoided Jon Thaxton , Jon Murray, not demanded a rematch with bredis prescott to clean slate then says Kotelnik is worst world champion in history his words.

Murray at no point in his career has fought at a higher level than Khan, yet it is Khan who gets criticised for his opposition and for "ducking" Murray. Murray is older than Khan and has had more pro fights and yet hasn't achieved a fraction of what Khan has.

Murray is decent but the "Khan is ducking me" line is what the majority of his reputation is built on, and it's only the blueprint laid down by other Hennessy fighters before him - Witter/Hatton, Froch/Calzaghe and now Murray/Khan. In all three cases, the ones making the "ducking" accusations have achieved far less and are/were in less of a position to call such shots.

What are you talking about?

I believe Murray had limited amateur experience, so his pro fights are where he will have learned how to actually box.

Not to mention his own career got put on hold basically when Thaxton beat Meager and became Hennessy's priority lightweight.

Murray's reputation has nothing to do with Khan or what you would call the Hennessy way - do you ever see Murray ringside at the Hennessy shows? At least 2 major fights Murray's won, some of the Hennessy ppl looked like they were at a graveyards or were pulling for t'other guy. Murray has battered 4 British level opponents, two of whom have campaigned well up at light welter. He certainly has avoided the Khan way of being fed super featherweights.

Murray is on fire. he's better than decent. However long it takes to get his opportunities, he developed a mature style of boxing sooner than Amir Khan.

[yiddo14]

Ami is only young so he has plenty of time to come good on his promise of fighting the very best etc.

Salita followed by McCloskey(being rumoured apparently)is hardly the stuff of legends though.

[oliverfennell]

All of which may be true, I just don't think it's fair or accurate when people talk about Khan "ducking" him, when at virtually every stage of Khan's career he's had bigger alternative fights in the pipeline - bigger both in terms of money and in career progression. For example, it could be argued that in "real terms" beating a young Murray would prove more than an old Barrera, but Khan's career, earning power and international reputation have all skyrocketed since then as a result.

[whiskey]

Amir Khan Says He Will Not Take The “Easy Route” As Champion

What, has he discovered a 'VERY easy route' or something?

Lined with binmen and cab drivers with interim titles ?

[gobbles]

Amir Khan Says He Will Not Take The “Easy Route” As Champion

What, has he discovered a 'VERY easy route' or something?

Lined with binmen and cab drivers with interim titles ?

I cannot understand all the hate aimed at Khan. The guy came back from being knocked out to win a world title within a year and is still only 22, yet people on here (supposed fans) just give him abuse. How old was your mate Froch when he challenged for a world title G0mez?

[bigjack]

Amir Khan Says He Will Not Take The “Easy Route” As Champion

What, has he discovered a 'VERY easy route' or something?

Lined with binmen and cab drivers with interim titles ?

Why change things now,he had the easiest route to the title and will continue to fight non punchers/past it legends/ex featherweights etc,etc for the rest of his title reign until they make the same mistake as they did with prescott

[dbf]

Amir Khan Says He Will Not Take The “Easy Route” As Champion

What, has he discovered a 'VERY easy route' or something?

Lined with binmen and cab drivers with interim titles ?

I cannot understand all the hate aimed at Khan. The guy came back from being knocked out to win a world title within a year and is still only 22, yet people on here (supposed fans) just give him abuse. How old was your mate Froch when he challenged for a world title G0mez?

In Khans credit, he moved up and challenged a legitimate champion for a genuine world title. Hennessey thus far has only delivered vacant title shots.

[leforge]

Khan will lose again in next few fights imo.

[tyson]

Ok so instead of clearing up the domestic scene first john Murray would be better fighting Kevin Kelly , Johnny Tapia type opponent, same as wat khan did with Barrera he fought a past it fighter fighting out of his weight division . If murray done that and beat one of the above murray would now be classed a world class fighter for beating a fading overweight former world champion .lol

[Adamj1987]

he khant take a punch (pun intended) he will have to take an easy route or he'll be against rugged sluggers like torres or bradley

[Finn]

Amir Khan Says He Will Not Take The “Easy Route” As Champion

What, has he discovered a 'VERY easy route' or something?

Lined with binmen and cab drivers with interim titles ?

yeh that Barrera is a right binman and kotelnik he was never a world champion lol.

[Asterix]

I'm not bothered about having a go at Khan for the past. Let's look at the present. He beat Kotelnik to win the title. Kotelnik is World class, imo, so that's a fantastic victory. Now on to Salita. This is just an easy defence and will help Khan feel like a champion. I won't complain about it, but it doesn't mean much.

If he's not going to take the easy route, expect to see a defence against Maidana after Salita. It's the fight after Salita that will show his intentions.

[Finn]

I'm not bothered about having a go at Khan for the past. Let's look at the present. He beat Kotelnik to win the title. Kotelnik is World class, imo, so that's a fantastic victory. Now on to Salita. This is just an easy defence and will help Khan feel like a champion. I won't complain about it, but it doesn't mean much.

If he's not going to take the easy route, expect to see a defence against Maidana after Salita. It's the fight after Salita that will show his intentions.

Exactly right, he's taking on an undefeated american, that shows he wants worldwide fame. Granted he's not that great but when do new champs ever have a title defence against someone they're not likely to beat. Its the next couple of fights that will show what he plans to do i think JMM might be in there somewhere but definatley maidana and possibly prescot just for the marketing value. Add the fight i'd love to see but is unlikely to ever happen PBF, having said that khan was offered a chance to fight pacman earlier in the year so its not completely rediculous.

[oliverfennell]

Ok so instead of clearing up the domestic scene first john Murray would be better fighting Kevin Kelly , Johnny Tapia type opponent, same as wat khan did with Barrera he fought a past it fighter fighting out of his weight division . If murray done that and beat one of the above murray would now be classed a world class fighter for beating a fading overweight former world champion .lol

Correct, so what is your point?

It's all well and good us clued-up boxing fans saying we want this or that domestic fight, but you have to look at the bigger picture sometimes. Khan is known internationally, Murray isn't, and it's for exactly the reasons you pointed out. That's not to say Murray couldnt' be world class or a viable opponent for Khan, it's just saying that an international profile is worth a great deal, so I know why Khan has made the choices he has - and why they've worked for him.

Does anybody look at Bruno's career and say "but he didn't fight Mason or Notice"? Or does Naz lose rep for not meeting Brodie or any ageing McMillan? Even Benn is pretty much forgiven for not fighting Herol Graham, despite it being among the clearer examples of "ducking" a domestic rival. But bottom line, DeWitt, Barkley and McClellan trumps Graham, just as Barrera and Kotelnkik trumps Murray (and Thaxton, who people inexplicably still trot out as a fighter Khan avoided).

[bigjack]

Ok so instead of clearing up the domestic scene first john Murray would be better fighting Kevin Kelly , Johnny Tapia type opponent, same as wat khan did with Barrera he fought a past it fighter fighting out of his weight division . If murray done that and beat one of the above murray would now be classed a world class fighter for beating a fading overweight former world champion .lol

Correct, so what is your point?

It's all well and good us clued-up boxing fans saying we want this or that domestic fight, but you have to look at the bigger picture sometimes. Khan is known internationally, Murray isn't, and it's for exactly the reasons you pointed out. That's not to say Murray couldnt' be world class or a viable opponent for Khan, it's just saying that an international profile is worth a great deal, so I know why Khan has made the choices he has - and why they've worked for him.

Does anybody look at Bruno's career and say "but he didn't fight Mason or Notice"? Or does Naz lose rep for not meeting Brodie or any ageing McMillan? Even Benn is pretty much forgiven for not fighting Herol Graham, despite it being among the clearer examples of "ducking" a domestic rival. But bottom line, DeWitt, Barkley and McClellan trumps Graham, just as Barrera and Kotelnkik trumps Murray (and Thaxton, who people inexplicably still trot out as a fighter Khan avoided).

Brunos team avoided any decent competition unless it was a title fight because he was useless and benn did have domestic showdowns with eubank and watson,graham was avoided because he was so difficult to hit and like dirrell at the weekend makes for a dull fight,just as hatton avoided witter due to the style,hatton fought thaxton, and benn and eubank and watson all fought eachother, who has khan fought domestically that was an even matchup.

[gemmell]

http://www.skysports.com/video/inline/0 ... 53,00.html
JEEEEEEZ amir has got some tabs on him hasn't he!! he looks younger! F.A CUP LUGS claiming he won't take the easy route