Amir Khan

[ILikeBeer]

What about Amir Khan getting knocked down the other day? Good thing/Bad thing.

Discuss.

[davetko]

Happens to everyone

[Max Molyneux]

Would Amir Take advice from the Hameds? Just reading Frankly Speaking on Fw's site and would he turn pro with the Hameds?

Amir Khan got dumped on his backside in an amateur bout this week – and it confirmed my opinion that he should have turned professional straight after the Olympics.

When you win a silver medal there is only one thing you can do to improve on that – scoop gold at the next games, and that’s always going to be tough because every opponent is after your scalp.

Amir is finding that out at the moment, but I thought he bounced back well from getting floored, winning both of his ABA championship bouts comfortably on points.

I’d still love to sign Amir, who is a super talent.

This week it emerged Khan had been receiving “advice” from Naseem Hamed’s brother and business manager, Riath.

He told a Sunday newspaper he had spoken with the Khans after but he didn’t reveal he had made an offer to the 18-
year-old.

Riath portrays himself up as a saint among the sinners of the sport – and said he was pleased to be out of the fight game as “no spiritual individual can exist in it, it’s an
environment of cheating and lying”.

Well it certainly was like that when he was around.

When, in the late 1990s, Richie Woodhall – like Khan an Olympic medallist – wanted me to promote him, the Hameds phoned me and said they were looking after him and would
negotiate his purse.

An agent would usually expect to take 10% of his fighter’s earnings, but the Hameds – whose promotional firm was headed by Riath - demanded 20% of any purse I gave
Woodhall.

And they said that if Richie became a world champion,
it would go up to what would have been an unheard of 50%.

When Richie found out he was disgusted to have been treated in this way.

Woodhall eventually contacted me directly and it was clear he thought he could only deal with me through the Hameds, which was not the case.

What made it even worse was the fact Naz was still
boxing and his family’s company was doing this to a
fellow fighter.

Given Riath’s religious opposition to alcohol, it also seems strange he secured fight sponsorship deals from beer company Budweiser.

“I’m glad to be out of boxing,” Riath said in the interview – not half as glad as I am to see him out of it.

[KOJOE90]

What about Amir Khan getting knocked down the other day? Good thing/Bad thing.

Discuss.

I don't think it is really that big a deal, many great fighter got dropped or even stopped as amateurs and weny on to have great professional careers, such as Ali, Tyson, Lewis and Louis.

As long as Amir Khan learns from his mistake it will do him no harm.

[ILikeBeer]

Who thinks he should turn pro now, or wait for a while?

I thought at first turning pro would be a mistake, I thought he should wait til the next olympics. But if he's not going to wait til the olympics, should he turn pro immediately?

Please, please don't sign with allegedly.

[josh fg]

I have always thought he should stay ameture untill the commonwealf games get some top level ameture expireance under his belt (which he gained from the KD and seems to have learnt from judging by his 23-3 demolition of his last opponent). He shouldn't stay ameture to win the title but to learn his craft.

I also think he shouldn't sign for warran as the last thing Britain needs is another WBU title holder

[ABA Boxing]

He should go Pro and yes not with FW, the olympics is to far away and if you think the Cubans haven't got anyone waiting to take over your in for a big shock.

Why put off a chance of alife time take the money, loads of things could go against khan over the next four years and would the offers be any better after he gets a gold? What if was to fail and knocked out in first round or even not qualify?

Quite frankly the UK could do with some good pro prospects!

[ogii3]

As one of the greatest lovers of amateur boxing i want very much Amir to stay amateurs. He will become for sure great champion. Will not have problem with the judges, cos AIBA president is alsmost his countrymate (Pacistan).
The best for him is to win this year world championships, when Kindelan will not be there and his successor Ugas (whos Amir beat in WCH junior last year) is not so finished boxer, but until Olympics i am sure he will improve at least twice:)

[locoxelbox]

If Amir Khan is as good as I believe he is, he will develop to an all-time great - then it doesn't matter if he stays amateur or turn pro, he will develop to a solid boxer who will dominate his opponents.
If he is not the great boxer I believe he is, then he better stay amateur and polish his skills, because a defeat in the pro game hurts much more than a defeat in the amateurs.

Taking into account the recent setbacks (getting knocked down, bloody nose, etc) he better continue his amateur carreer for a while. Had that happened in the pros with small gloves it could have been devastating.

If he stays amateur for Beijing the chance is he's going to get beaten down the road (so what, all amateurs lose sometimes, even Rigondeaux, Kindelan or Savon) but if he's good enough to win Olympic silver (and the way he did it) at 17 his chances to win Olympic gold at 21 are quite huge.

[decrusher]

How David Tua when he was amateur ?
Didn't he floored at least one time ?

[overhand_right]

Well done Decrusher, thats nearly a sentence!!

[KOJOE90]

How David Tua when he was amateur ?
Didn't he floored at least one time ?

The Cuban fighter Felix Savon KO'd a young David Tua in one round. Tua was out cold by all accounts.

[locoxelbox]

Tua was Olympic bronze medallist in Barcelona 1992, losing a close decision to David Izon in the semis. He was also a bronze medallist at the 1991 Worlds when he was KO'ed by Savon.