BoxRec

Of course Khan can still win a world title, he's still got enough other talents, such as speed, heart and power, to make up for a less than stellar chin.
He's got to get himself a decent defense sorted though, and that means a top class trainer, rather than that orange faced muppet he's currently lumbered with.
Amir backed up with his hands down and chin in the air after the knock down - he's very lucky Gomez had lost a step right there.

A vunerable chin doesn't mean you're not going to win a world title: check Roger Mayweather, who had an even worse chin than AK.
Rog would keel over in a stiff breeze, yet he still won several world titles.
Admittedly, he had a right hand like the crack of doom, but main thing was: he kept his chin out of the way...most of the time.

Even a near shot Gomez always looked a possible danger - he's got a left hook that's world class, and Khan is not used to meeting anyone with a punch. Which makes me think FW was banking on a reality check for his young star on Sat night - just to keep him in line awhile longer.

It's not just his chin, he doesn't like the body shots either!

He's lucky he's got Frank to keep him away from adversity.

Riddick Blowe wrote:

Terry D wrote:

Riddick Blowe wrote:excellent post terry.

I can see James's point to be fair. He could be given a shot at the easiest possible fighter to defeat but it is high risk. Gomez was struggling with Carl and Youseff, the fact he gave Khan such hell is a resounding alarm bell.

Khan is good for the publicity side of things in general, the public know him and like what they see but people are increasingly becoming bored of him. His past few fights have seen him talk up a world title tilt so the general punter expects it to happen, when it does not they think he is all hot air, in truth we know he is no where near ready for one just yet.

Throw in the fact that under Oliver Harrison we did see him tightening-up his defence only for his new 'defence improving trainer' to seemingly make him less defensively sound than he was before. Was it a shock to them that Gomez likes to throw a left to the body? Or head for that matter?

To answer the thread yes he will win a world title but he will take the route of lesser resistance towards the title, I don't think he will ever unify, unless the talent pool becomes shallow.

after all this you say he can??? your previous post said different.

The main sanctioning bodies may often not have the greatest fighters at the top of their ratings, but they are usually a certain class of fighter nonetheless.

Are you saying Gavin rees would beat or is better than Khan, he won a WBA after all.

These days to have to even have a chance at the title, you got to talk loud. If you think Khan has does to much Trash-Talk, you obviously have not been around Boxing very long have you. :P

So you start off by saying "These days" and then end with "been around boxing very long". You've contradicted yourself in the same sentence.

Khan has no legs to stand on when it comes to trash talking. What evidence has he shown that he could beat Diaz or Pacquiao? Being knocked down 2 times by feather fisted boxers? (quote taken before the Gomez knock down)

He trashed talked Thaxton. Then ran away from the purse bid. He said he’d win the euro title. Then failed to go into negotiations with Yuri when he was up for the fight.

All this trash talking is just making him look like an idiot. He doesn't want a world title shot. It's going to be another year at least before he goes anywhere near a world title imo.

If you’re an excellent boxer, beat top class opponents ect. You don’t need to run your mouth to get a title shot.

Khan has the power to hurt Kastidis, make no mistake of that. Casamayor WAS a great fighter, but is definately on the slide and so far hasn't looked a particularly strong Lightweight.

The admittedly granite chinned Castillo walked through Casamayor's bombs, as did the occasionally vulnerable Chico Corrales at Lightweight. Infact the only fighters he has scored KD 's against were not so durable (all defeats were KO defeats) Pearson and Ramirez who really didn't deserve to share a ring with Casamayor.

Santa Cruz has been KO'd twice - didn't budge against Casamayor, the light punching Campbell TKO'd Diamond (who has been floored on a few occasions also) - again didn't budge against Casa.

Kastidis has been hurt or floored in all 3 of his world title fights. Earl is a decent puncher, but not I would call exactly world class, and Amonsot is far from a world class puncher. He's tough but hardly mister invinsible.... of course single shots from Khan will hurt him. If Graham Earl can hurt him, so could Khan.

Again I disagree entirely on the differences between the Khan and Johannsson performances vs Gomez...... Johannesson was troubled and in more trouble than Khan ever was... he didn't go down, but he was rocked and Gomez was hurt every bit as badly vs Khan as he was vs Gomez. Aside from the KD in a round that should have been scored 10-9 to Gomez, Gomez lost everything vs Khan... he won rounds, without the aid of a KD vs Johannesson.

Gomez also fatigued earlier vs Khan (watch the fight again and watch how many punches he actually threw) - why? Not cause he didn't train as hard, but because Khan's shots were more strength sapping... his jab was making him just stop momentarily in his tracks.

Khan chin is vulnerable and always will mean he is not a certainty... but he has the power, the speed, the shot selection and the skill to beat anyone in the devision... although I think fighters who are as quick, with as much skill and power will be favoured cause of the chin factor (e.g. Guzman, and Pacquiao) - but Kastidis? I think Khan beats him up.

Audley and Khan are a legacy of the modern (world/olympic) amateur tournaments where power means little..... you just need to fence and land more,

Khan should sod the general consensus and just go for it, Katsidis, Campbell, Casamayor, whoever ... but for fu*k's sake stop fighting these ruined fellas who see him as a way back from the depths of obscurity/poverty.

Let him loose, let him lose ... or win, roll the dice and see what the amateur phenom is capable of.

I actually think he has a great chin, it's just prone to being hit ... he's open, that's a fact. I dont think you're going to see any kind of turnaround or control added to his game until he's tasted loss.

I think he's capable of beating any of the names mentioned at lightweight ... that's not as hard a leap to imagine for me as it seems to be for others. Could he lose? Maybe ... probably ... only one way to find out.

Start throwing caution to the wind, he knows how good he is, let him prove it against someone who can put fear in his blood and bring it out of him.

Would Julio Diaz be too much of a risk for a bridging fight between the likes of Earl and Campbell?

MightyWarrior wrote: as speed, heart and power, .

Again, when has khan ever demonstrated he has genuine one shot power, let alone power that can translate to world level? What good is his speed without an equalizer? Like someone else said above, what's going to happen is when Khan gets in with a top guy he will flurry around looking fast and then get sparked, (its nearly happened already! and aganst who exactly) it's not like he has any defence or chin to go with his speed to eke out distance wins.

Oh, and if he magically 'improves' under a new trainer or suddenly possesses an ali-like defense, i ll be the first to say i was wrong.

seems more likely he'll just come in with all his natural bad habits, flap around with his chin in the air and get taken out quicktime.

I'll keep the humble pie on hold, for ever I think.

Agree with the person who said logic of boxing goes out of the window when discussing Khan. As I said earlier, he will never be a pure boxing style fighter like Floyd Mayweather/Jones Jr, which is what he really wants. He will be like a Manny Pacquaio style fighter. I don't know if he will reach those same heights though.

PS Pac-man lost a couple of fights early on, and he still got far.

Yes if he had :
- Better Stamina and learned to pace himself
- more efficient power. (Khan needs combinations of 5-6 punches to really hurt his opponents)
- Better chin
- Better defense
- Better head movement

that makes a LOT of IFs...

Raff The Frenchman wrote:Yes if he had :
- Better Stamina and learned to pace himself
- more efficient power. (Khan needs combinations of 5-6 punches to really hurt his opponents)
- Better chin
- Better defense
- Better head movement

that makes a LOT of IFs...

He paced himself against St Clair. I haven't seen any issues with his stamina.

Asterix wrote:

Raff The Frenchman wrote:Yes if he had :
- Better Stamina and learned to pace himself
- more efficient power. (Khan needs combinations of 5-6 punches to really hurt his opponents)
- Better chin
- Better defense
- Better head movement

that makes a LOT of IFs...

He paced himself against St Clair. I haven't seen any issues with his stamina.

Incidentally when he was with Harrison.

stujones wrote:Would Julio Diaz be too much of a risk for a bridging fight between the likes of Earl and Campbell?

Diaz would be the sort of Acid test for Khan that TAckie was for Hatton, I think they should go for something like this but it would be risky. Jesus Chavez would be a good fight for Khan, old smaller world class fighter

Raff The Frenchman wrote:Yes if he had :
- Better Stamina and learned to pace himself
- more efficient power. (Khan needs combinations of 5-6 punches to really hurt his opponents)
- Better chin
- Better defense
- Better head movement

that makes a LOT of IFs...

Agree with that, but his stamina seems fine.

Better defense would help him get tagged less so the chin problem wouldn't be too much an Issue though.

Khan needs a better trainer though, as disgusting as It was how he left Harrison, didn't look like he learned much from him.

Max Molyneux wrote:

Raff The Frenchman wrote:Yes if he had :
- Better Stamina and learned to pace himself
- more efficient power. (Khan needs combinations of 5-6 punches to really hurt his opponents)
- Better chin
- Better defense
- Better head movement

that makes a LOT of IFs...

Agree with that, but his stamina seems fine.

Better defense would help him get tagged less so the chin problem wouldn't be too much an Issue though.

Khan needs a better trainer though, as disgusting as It was how he left Harrison, didn't look like he learned much from him.

Yeah but Khan is probably the kind of guy that leaves it all down to his trainer. What happened to supplementing your trainer's learning with your own practice? I bet Amir never spent hours and hours perfecting his craft.

Terry D wrote:He learned enough to keep his chin out of danger since the Limond fight. He left Oliver and we've seen an immediate regression. He replaced a real trainer with an odd job man.

It looks like Dean Powell has added some more shots to Khan's arsenal, but I agree that we've seen a regression. Especially defensively, which is ironic considering Khan said he was learning loads defensively, things that Harrison never taught him. Khan definitely needs to get his permanent trainer before the next fight.

This all improves Oliver Harrison's reputation as a trainer.

Terry D wrote:

Max Molyneux wrote:

Raff The Frenchman wrote:Yes if he had :
- Better Stamina and learned to pace himself
- more efficient power. (Khan needs combinations of 5-6 punches to really hurt his opponents)
- Better chin
- Better defense
- Better head movement

that makes a LOT of IFs...

Agree with that, but his stamina seems fine.

Better defense would help him get tagged less so the chin problem wouldn't be too much an Issue though.

Khan needs a better trainer though, as disgusting as It was how he left Harrison, didn't look like he learned much from him.

He learned enough to keep his chin out of danger since the Limond fight. He left Oliver and we've seen an immediate regression. He replaced a real trainer with an odd job man.

All he did was keep his hands up more since the Limond fight, a world level fighter needs more than that.

yeah but Khan is probably the kind of guy that leaves it all down to his trainer. What happened to supplementing your trainer's learning with your own practice? I bet Amir never spent hours and hours perfecting his craft.

Probably not bright enough to supplement a trainers learning. Seen Amateurs In gyms I've been In who don't supplement what there trainers teach them despite being told to.

Riddick Blowe wrote:

MightyWarrior wrote: as speed, heart and power, .

Again, when has khan ever demonstrated he has genuine one shot power, let alone power that can translate to world level?

Not one shot power, but it looks like he has good enough power all the same. Both Gomez and Earl, a couple of genuine hard men, must have been shocked by the weight of his punches when they came out for the first round.
Earl was really taken out in true gun-slinger style, and you don't do that to him unless you've got some very decent power on your shots.
You'll admit he has a fighting heart at least? That can take you a long way...

Put it this way, imagine if we'd been looking at Khan for the first time on Sat night, without the hype and expectations, never heard of him in fact. You'd have been mightily impressed with the way this young prospect was rattling off such potent combinations, coming off the floor and giving it right back to his opponent. It was pretty good stuff you have to admit.

I am absolutely stunned at the criticism, especially from Terry D (whom I have had many interesting debates with in the past)... Immediate regression!!!! Hang on, he has never fought anyone with Gomez's style before. Yes alot of us, myself included thought that Khan would be too big and get him out very early - but he didn't.

How do you know he wouldn't have fought EXACTLY the same under Harrison.

Watch the fight again, watch how many times he is caught again, watch how many times Gomez misses, watch how many times he blocks Gomez's shots. Yes, the odd shot goes in - but your talking like Khan was a defensive master before hand - he wasn't.

Gomez, Limond and Earl for my money are the only 3 fighters Khan has faced who actually believed they could win. He caught Earl cold, but struggled more against Limond (under Harrison) than he did vs Gomez.

Khan lost a combined 40 seconds of the fight vs Gomez. In the first round Gomez didn't land clean once. Khan gave him a lesson. He got caught napping in the second, but wasn't hurt (the body shot hurt him in the 4th yes)... Gomez chased around for a bit but didn't land much. Watch the fight again.

No - Khan isn't a defensive master - I don't want to paint a picture that I was thoroughly impressed - cause I wasn't. His chin is ALWAYS going to be a problem. However, yes for me this goes alongside the St Clair fight as a career best performance... showed different qualities - but his punch selection was MUCH wider.

MightyWarrior wrote:
Not one shot power, but it looks like he has good enough power all the same. Both Gomez and Earl, a couple of genuine hard men, must have been shocked by the weight of his punches when they came out for the first round.
Earl was really taken out in true gun-slinger style, and you don't do that to him unless you've got some very decent power on your shots.
You'll admit he has a fighting heart at least? That can take you a long way...

Put it this way, imagine if we'd been looking at Khan for the first time on Sat night, without the hype and expectations, never heard of him in fact. You'd have been mightily impressed with the way this young prospect was rattling off such potent combinations, coming off the floor and giving it right back to his opponent. It was pretty good stuff you have to admit.

Exactly Mr Warrior, completely agree - this criticism is unreal... people bought into the commentary.... Yes it was like Rocky!!!.... Anyone remember that fight with Appollo.... Rocky is getting a kicking for most of it!!!!!!

Kastidis is potrayed as a killer puncher, the next Freitas is one term I have often heard to describe him. Hang on a minute... It took Kastidis combinations to floor Earl who ended lasting 5 rounds to be pulled out by his corner. Khan did Earl in the first.

stujones wrote:I am absolutely stunned at the criticism, especially from Terry D (whom I have had many interesting debates with in the past)... Immediate regression!!!! Hang on, he has never fought anyone with Gomez's style before. Yes alot of us, myself included thought that Khan would be too big and get him out very early - but he didn't.

How do you know he wouldn't have fought EXACTLY the same under Harrison.

Watch the fight again, watch how many times he is caught again, watch how many times Gomez misses, watch how many times he blocks Gomez's shots. Yes, the odd shot goes in - but your talking like Khan was a defensive master before hand - he wasn't.

Gomez, Limond and Earl for my money are the only 3 fighters Khan has faced who actually believed they could win. He caught Earl cold, but struggled more against Limond (under Harrison) than he did vs Gomez.

Khan lost a combined 40 seconds of the fight vs Gomez. In the first round Gomez didn't land clean once. Khan gave him a lesson. He got caught napping in the second, but wasn't hurt (the body shot hurt him in the 4th yes)... Gomez chased around for a bit but didn't land much. Watch the fight again.

No - Khan isn't a defensive master - I don't want to paint a picture that I was thoroughly impressed - cause I wasn't. His chin is ALWAYS going to be a problem. However, yes for me this goes alongside the St Clair fight as a career best performance... showed different qualities - but his punch selection was MUCH wider.

Well said.

Well I for one was stunned by the tactics Khan employed in the Gomez fight. Everyone knows Mike is four round fighter these days and yet Khan went in seemingly determined to play into his hands and make it a four round fight. Everyone knows that Gomez was being battered by Arthur at long range and only came into it when Arthur started trying to load up with power shots - yet Khan did exactly the same thing. He had a huge physical advantages over Gomez and yet chose to make this the fight where he majored on the uppercut, willingly surrendering the distance that was his best tool to soften up Gomez. I don't think Freddy Roach would have been advising Khan to use the uppercut as his main weapon against an in-fighting bodypuncher like Gomez.

Whether it was Powell or Khan or both - the thinking behind Saturday's fight was as weak as tea.

I disagree on a few accounts there.

1) Gomez was never "getting battered" by Arthur - he was well up.

2) Gomez wasn't even a four round fighter vs Khan... Khan shots in the opener shook him too his boots and his strength was gone in the 3rd.... watch the fight again. He would come forward and basically lean on Khan mouth wide open and make try one or two arm punches. Caught him with a beaut in the 4th - but that was it.

It was Khan's strength and punching power that stopped the Gomez head movement, and slowed his legs down - and he did it earlier than any other fighter.

Yes, his performance reminded me of DLH vs Chavez II - which tactically I suppose wasn't right, but Khan knew, just like DLH knew that his power was having an effect and slowing him down and he also knew that Chavez/Gomez's punches were having less and less effect the more Khan/DLH were landed hard shots of their own.

End of the day he won in exiting, crowd pleasing fashion and aside from a combined 40 second spell it was easy.

Could Khan beat Zahir Raheem?

Could he beat Yuri Romanov?

Could he beat John Murray?

Could he beat Nate Campbell?

Could he beat Michael Katsidis?

Amir needs to show improvement. He's wide open to the left hook, as Gomez showed. His upper-body movement is zero and his guard is loose - Gomez got through with umpteen u/cuts on the inside and he can certainly be buzzed.

He looks breathtaking when he goes through the gears but there remains a shoeshine nbature to his combinations soemtimes, as they're often all entirely straight shots.

But he is showing heart and guts. Which are crucial. He may be shrewdly managed but he isn't scared of a fight like other leading Amatuer medalists I could mention.

Its a pity Murray hasn't come on alittle more in the last 12 months.

Personally, I'd get a rock solid 10 stoner in who's on the slide.

Ben Tackie comes to mind.