BoxRec

I'll be the fisrt person to admit that i haven't been Khan's greatest fan and have doubted his ability to get to the top and fight at world level. It has to be said that Khan's career has been manipulated and that he has been given a very easy ride to his world title, considering the level of opponents he has had to face. Apart from Prescott, he hasn't faced anyone with notable punch power. Barrera was used to get a name on his record, despite the fact that he was fighting well above his natural weight catagory and was obviously shot to pieces. Add to that the names of people who he fought who were either fighting above there natural weight class, such as St.Claire, the completely hopeless and those that had clearly seem better days such as Gomez. Khan never fought for the British or European titles and avoided hard fights against opponents such as Murray and Romanov. He was parachuted into a world title shot way too early after his defeat to Prescott and despite claiming a version of the world title and defending it twice, it's significant that the best fighter he has faced so far is Paulie Malignaggi.

However........

I think that Khan deserves some praise and respect after last nights performance. He has done well to turn his career around since that defeat to Prescott and that is in no small way to the Brilliance of Freddie Roach, a trainer who seems to have levelled out Khan's weaknesses and enhanced his significant attributes. His defence has improved, his ring craft is better, he is more mature physically aswell as mentally and his confidence is there for all to see. It remains to be seen how well Khan will do against the likes of Alexander, Bradley and Maidana, who at this moment in time are a big step up from Malignaggi, who has seen his best days. But for a debut in America, at Madison Square garden and against a former world champion, who up untill the last few years was seen as one of the top contenders in the light-welter divison, his performance was very impressive and he virtually schloled Malignaggi from the 3rd a round onwards.


It will be interesting to see how Khan develops and progressses and whilst its still too early to talk of him as a possible great fighter, he has proved that he deserves to be considered as a fighter who can fight at world level and has the ability to possibly go further

Props to Khan for that

Good performance by Khan, Malignaggi caused a few problems early but Khan dealt with them nicely and landed some nice shot's his jab was really impressive and his combo's looked good against a tricky opponant

No one predicted Malignaggi would beat Khan or even trouble him - Nothing has changed with Khan until he fights someone who has a bit more ambition and actually someone who has a bit of power would be nice too.

Until then it's same old, same old.

Quite rightly, fans are expecting a bit more from Khan - It's all very well feasting on over the hill fighters, or powder puff hitters, but it doesn't match his own talk or ambitions.

Every unbiased view of Khan states the same thing, he's very much a work in progress - He'll get the props when he delivers on the hype.

I was very impressed with Khan to be honest, his jab was great and his movement better than I have seen in a while. Still not a fan as such but wish him all the best in the future.

Twinkle Toes wrote:No one predicted Malignaggi would beat Khan or even trouble him - Nothing has changed with Khan until he fights someone who has a bit more ambition and actually someone who has a bit of power would be nice too.

Until then it's same old, same old.

Quite rightly, fans are expecting a bit more from Khan - It's all very well feasting on over the hill fighters, or powder puff hitters, but it doesn't match his own talk or ambitions.

Every unbiased view of Khan states the same thing, he's very much a work in progress - He'll get the props when he delivers on the hype.

I agree, i thought that Khan would get a decison or a late stoppage against Malignaggi, but it was still a good performance and it has to be remembered that his defeat to prescott, along with fighting journeymen, wasn't that long ago, so a fight with Malignaggi is a big step up, especially with it being at the garden and his American debut. All i'm saying is that i give him props for turning his career around, gaining a world title and putting in an impressive performance last night, against a fighter who only lost to Hatton a short while back. I agree with you that he still has a long way to go, to forfill and live up to a lot of the bullshit, but it's a start and i wish him well

I was also impressed. I've never been his biggest fan, I still think he is a class A tit out of the ring but he is rapidly maturing in it. Yes, Paulie is not a puncher but Khan's focus and concentration is spot on. He is working like a machine behind that jab and defence. Will look forward to seeing him now in with a puncher. However, he hasn't got an exciting style. Yes it may be effective but will it make him a huge crossover star? The jury is still out.

He looked really good last night, gbp have said that khan may be out again in July in England. Could possibly see him fight Prescott again.

winkveron wrote:I was also impressed. I've never been his biggest fan, I still think he is a class A tit out of the ring but he is rapidly maturing in it. Yes, Paulie is not a puncher but Khan's focus and concentration is spot on. He is working like a machine behind that jab and defence. Will look forward to seeing him now in with a puncher. However, he hasn't got an exciting style. Yes it may be effective but will it make him a huge crossover star? The jury is still out.

I don't think he will be a bankable star in America.

The light-welter weight division is relatively strong, but the true action is at welterweight and Khan would to clean up the light-welter divison and then move up in weight and take on the best at 147lbs, before he would get to be a recognisble name in America

winkveron wrote:... However, he hasn't got an exciting style. Yes it may be effective but will it make him a huge crossover star? The jury is still out.

Didn't hold back Hopkins and to a lesser extent, Mayweather.

Rixxy wrote:He looked really good last night, gbp have said that khan may be out again in July in England. Could possibly see him fight Prescott again.

100% he will fight maidana, he has basiclly demanded the fight and he will get it.

Rixxy wrote:He looked really good last night, gbp have said that khan may be out again in July in England. Could possibly see him fight Prescott again.

I cant see him fighting Prescott again to be honest, as i think that Amir is too far down the line in Championship fights now to be concerned with a re-match. Prescott is not a viable contender for his Title and i just cant see it happening.
In the unlikely event of this fight happening, i think that Khan would win easily...outbox him for a few rounds then a stoppage.

Don`t forget that Khan totally outboxed Kotelnik, who in turn has already beaten Maidana.

Kotelnik is Khan`s best win, not Paulie.

I thought Khan did a better job on Paulie than Hatton did, he completely brutalised him with an excellent jab.

I would like to see him vary his punches a little though, as he throws very little apart from the jab followed by straight right. More work to the bod could be worth considering.

No matter what he does, he will never get the credit with some people. If he beats Maidana it will be "yeah but that blokes just a crude puncher", with Paulie it was "yeah but he`s shot" etc etc

forcefraser wrote:Don`t forget that Khan totally outboxed Kotelnik, who in turn has already beaten Maidana.

Kotelnik is Khan`s best win, not Paulie.

I thought Khan did a better job on Paulie than Hatton did, he completely brutalised him with an excellent jab.

I would like to see him vary his punches a little though, as he throws very little apart from the jab followed by straight right. More work to the bod could be worth considering.

No matter what he does, he will never get the credit with some people. If he beats Maidana it will be "yeah but that blokes just a crude puncher", with Paulie it was "yeah but he`s shot" etc etc

No, with Paulie it was "he has no power", which is completely true. Paulie is a good fighter, but power is Khan's kryptonite and he was in there against an opponent who possessed none of this.

Khan deserves credit for dominating Paulie like he did, he showed his obvious gifts and made it clear that 140 pound fighters who lack any form of power won't beat him. There will always be people who fail to give Khan any form of credit but I suspect people will respect him a lot more when he beats a guy who is not a notorious feather fister.

crusader wrote:

forcefraser wrote:Don`t forget that Khan totally outboxed Kotelnik, who in turn has already beaten Maidana.

Kotelnik is Khan`s best win, not Paulie.

I thought Khan did a better job on Paulie than Hatton did, he completely brutalised him with an excellent jab.

I would like to see him vary his punches a little though, as he throws very little apart from the jab followed by straight right. More work to the bod could be worth considering.

No matter what he does, he will never get the credit with some people. If he beats Maidana it will be "yeah but that blokes just a crude puncher", with Paulie it was "yeah but he`s shot" etc etc

No, with Paulie it was "he has no power", which is completely true. Paulie is a good fighter, but power is Khan's kryptonite and he was in there against an opponent who possessed none of this.

Khan deserves credit for dominating Paulie like he did, he showed his obvious gifts and made it clear that 140 pound fighters who lack any form of power won't beat him. There will always be people who fail to give Khan any form of credit but I suspect people will respect him a lot more when he beats a guy who is not a notorious feather fister.

I agree that a puncher is Khan`s biggest problem as there are few that could outbox him. I think he should go in with Bradley. Bradley is not the biggest puncher by any means and an ageing Witter ran him close.

Would imagine he has to get Maidana out of the way first, which should be a top fight, knowing that Maidana could end it at any second.

forcefraser wrote:
No matter what he does, he will never get the credit with some people. If he beats Maidana it will be "yeah but that blokes just a crude puncher",with Paulie it was "yeah but he`s shot" etc etc

These things are said before he has fought him .. its there for everybody to see anyway. Nobody has ever said Maidana is a gifted boxer with silky skills ... just that he has the one punch ability to put Khan to sleep with one punch.

Twinkle Toes wrote:No one predicted Malignaggi would beat Khan or even trouble him - Nothing has changed with Khan until he fights someone who has a bit more ambition and actually someone who has a bit of power would be nice too.

Until then it's same old, same old.

Quite rightly, fans are expecting a bit more from Khan - It's all very well feasting on over the hill fighters, or powder puff hitters, but it doesn't match his own talk or ambitions.

Every unbiased view of Khan states the same thing, he's very much a work in progress - He'll get the props when he delivers on the hype.

14 people predicted Malignaggi would win here: http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f ... &start=100

Malignaggi couldn't crack an egg shell wearing jack boots.

It's ok looking good against someone who is perhaps the weakest puncher in the top 30 of the division, but let's see what happens when someone with a bit of venom in their shots comes along.

G0mez wrote:Malignaggi couldn't crack an egg shell wearing jack boots.

It's ok looking good against someone who is perhaps the weakest puncher in the top 30 of the division, but let's see what happens when someone with a bit of venom in their shots comes along.

I don't think there are many in the top 30 that would look good against Malignaggi regardless of his lack of power.

Asterix wrote: 14 people predicted Malignaggi would win here: http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f ... &start=100

Oh yeah... ermm thanks.

khan showed a great jab vs a guy who is hard to hit. it was a solid night's work but it was not spectacular. khan doesn't seem to have a very good right hand. he seems more of a virgil hill type of fighter (ama pedigree, jab and mover, lop sided style favouring one hand) than a sugar ray leonard style of fighter. he did show signs that he could fight with variety, such as the body shots in one of the middle rounds, but that was only in one round. it was a mature performance and khan can continue to be successful. but it's not a performance to justify the superlatives that are being thrown around in some places.

Good performance from Khan, but if wants to get the credit he craves then this has to be last of the Mallinaggi's of this world. He was no threat whatsoever, and most knew this before the 1st bell.

I struggled to agree with McGuigan when he said the 10st division is red hot, I'm not so sure, it was at one point a few years ago, white hote infact, but seems nothing more than average (in world terms), certainly doesn't compare to the Supermiddles, THAT is a red hot division.

cut the guy some slack

Autobarn wrote:khan showed a great jab vs a guy who is hard to hit. it was a solid night's work but it was not spectacular. khan doesn't seem to have a very good right hand. he seems more of a virgil hill type of fighter (ama pedigree, jab and mover, lop sided style favouring one hand) than a sugar ray leonard style of fighter. he did show signs that he could fight with variety, such as the body shots in one of the middle rounds, but that was only in one round. it was a mature performance and khan can continue to be successful. but it's not a performance to justify the superlatives that are being thrown around in some places.

Paulie isn't that hard to hit, Cotto certainly found his chin plenty, as did Hatton.

THEBUTCH wrote:... certainly doesn't compare to the Supermiddles, THAT is a red hot division.

The supermiddle division?? what great tallent have they there? .. it must be a couple of guys outside the super6 tornament, because so far, that has only shown us how mediocre the top guys there are..

tonyevs wrote:

THEBUTCH wrote:... certainly doesn't compare to the Supermiddles, THAT is a red hot division.

The supermiddle division?? what great tallent have they there? .. it must be a couple of guys outside the super6 tornament, because so far, that has only shown us how mediocre the top guys there are..

I agree......

I'm not impressed with the super-middleweight division at all. For Khan to reaaly get a name, he has to clean up the light-welter division and move up to welterweight, it's as simple as that. Sooner or later he will have to do it anyway, because making 140lbs easily wont be the case in 2 years time and by then he will have run out of road in terms of proving himself, assuming that he can beat the likes of Bradley, Alexander, Maidane, Oriz etc. He may aswell move up in the next 18 months, whilst the division is still fairly competative and fight the likes of Cotto, Margarito etc. I don't think he will ever face a fighter who he feels he is 50-50 with, because i think his management team are risk averse and more interested in his PR and making money.