BoxRec

News just in lower grade light hitting journeymen Campanella and Valenzeula floored DLH early in his career. Delahoya surely must have had a china chin and would be murdered by any decent hitting world operator

Khan was making a few silly mistakes, but that's what fighting a guy like Willie Limmond is about - a win, but hard going and getting dropped as well. It's very clear that Amir has plenty to do but it's good that these mistakes have been highlighted at this point in his career. Oliver Harrison will no doubt relish ironing out these points. Amir looked very panicky when under fire but he's obviously never been clouted as hard as he was, so it's a new experience for him. But credit for coming back & turning it around like he did.

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:News just in lower grade light hitting journeymen Campanella and Valenzeula floored DLH early in his career. Delahoya surely must have had a china chin and would be murdered by any decent hitting world operator

was dlh badly hurt? also, worth mentioning is that draining down to those smaller weights, oscar had mssive size/power advantages but may have suffered in terms of durability

Campanella knocked down De La Hoya in a world title fight hardly the same. And he was no fly swatter.

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:News just in lower grade light hitting journeymen Campanella and Valenzeula floored DLH early in his career. Delahoya surely must have had a china chin and would be murdered by any decent hitting world operator

Nothing new in boxing. Remember Joe Bugner knocked out his pro debut. Then there was Nigel Benn almost starched by Anthony Logan. Felix trnidad down against Leushing, Bruno staggered by Cummings - with Mike Jacobs on his Xmas card list ever afterwards.

Quite a bit of a difference between Oscar being put down by a solid world level operator at a weight that was absolute hell for him to make, and Khan being rocked to the core by a light hitting European level fighter. A similarity in the way they both came back from the knockdowns, but De La Hoya was hardly staring into the abyss as Khan was.

My guess is Khan won't prove anywhere near as durable as De La Hoya has. Anyone see Khan being able to live with men who punch like Quartey, Trinidad, Mosley, Vargas, Mayorga, Gatti, Chavez, or Ruelas somewhere down the line?

Khan does look a bit fragile, but there's a chance that making lightweight is effecting his punch resistance in the same that fighting at light welter saw Cotto on his arse against Corley and Torres...

glittermonkey wrote:Quite a bit of a difference between Oscar being put down by a solid world level operator at a weight that was absolute hell for him to make, and Khan being rocked to the core by a light hitting European level fighter. A similarity in the way they both came back from the knockdowns, but De La Hoya was hardly staring into the abyss as Khan was.

My guess is Khan won't prove anywhere near as durable as De La Hoya has. Anyone see Khan being able to live with men who punch like Quartey, Trinidad, Mosley, Vargas, Mayorga, Gatti, Chavez, or Ruelas somewhere down the line?

Ummm neither of the guys who put Delahoya down early in his career were solid world class operators. Both were probably worse than Limond, Campadella did nothing other than win the Italian title, hardly a massive achievement

Who knows how strong, durable and defensively savy a 25yo Khan may become. Early days

they were flash knockdowns.

de la hoya was not holding on for dear life.

plus de la hoya was a serious league hitter in those weights and mixing at a higher class than khan is right now.

How about Freitas getting knocked down by none punching Barry Jones?
It didn,t harm his career.

As has been said above, there's a huge difference between being knocked down by a 'flash' punch and being sparked so you're basically out on your feet, as Khan was last night. There's no comparison between the two. The likes of De La Hoya were in no danger of being stopped at the time, Limond only needed to land one or two more punches last night and Khan was done.

Flash knockdowns happen, hence why they don't affect careers, but when you're put in la la land by a noted light puncher then questions are going to be asked.

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:News just in lower grade light hitting journeymen Campanella and Valenzeula floored DLH early in his career. Delahoya surely must have had a china chin and would be murdered by any decent hitting world operator

I also think there's a slight difference. Both of De La Hoyas knockdowns were flash ones, he wasn't it any sort of trouble. Campanella was 21-0 (15kos) and Valenzeula, although an average journeyman, was ko'ed in the 1st round, which sort of shows that it was a fluke.

Limond only had 8 stoppage wins in 28 fights but had Khan in all sorts of bother, if he was a bigger puncher it could quite have easily have been a different story. Lets not forget Khan was also floored by Rachid Drilzane who hadn't stopped anyone in any of his winning 10 fights !!!

Saying that I holding judgement about Khan. I'd like to think he can go all the way. These are the learning fights, only time will tell whether his chin will hold up against world class punchers.

Controversial wrote: Lets not forget Khan was also floored by Rachid Drilzane who hadn't stopped anyone in any of his winning 10 fights !!!

To be fair, I saw that fight, and that was never a knockdown. Khan slipped, his hand brushed the canvas, it was somehow ruled a knockdown.

Controversial wrote:These are the learning fights, only time will tell whether his chin will hold up against world class punchers.

I am fairly sure it won't, which is why he needs to learn how to move his bloody head and stop leaping in throwing arm punch flurries.

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:News just in lower grade light hitting journeymen Campanella and Valenzeula floored DLH early in his career. Delahoya surely must have had a china chin and would be murdered by any decent hitting world operator

Both of the guys who floored Oscar were big hitters with great KO percentages at the time whereas Limond is an inactive known light puncher who works as a joiner by day.

The very fact your using Oscar as a comparison to Khan beggars belief. Khan isnt good enough to clean Oscar's Pool

Hes been the same weight for 3 years thats a worry at that age

hitman_hatton1 wrote:they were flash knockdowns.

de la hoya was not holding on for dear life.

plus de la hoya was a serious league hitter in those weights and mixing at a higher class than khan is right now.

This is the key point. Khan looked like a new born foal for a few secs and willie is a non puncher. Oscar went over from flash knockdowns.

The Blade wrote:

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:

Then there was Nigel Benn almost starched by Anthony Logan. Felix trnidad down against Leushing, Bruno staggered by Cummings - with Mike Jacobs on his Xmas card list ever afterwards.

They were all decent punchers though. Going into those fights Logan had 12 ko's in 16 wins (6 1st round consecutive ko's at one stage), Cummings 13 ko's in 15 wins and Lueshing 16 kos in 19 wins.

Limond had been fairly inactive and of those 8 he had stopped out of 28 they were poor quality fighters, fighters normally with as many losses than wins on their records.

If it was a flash knockdown you could excuse it but Khan was badly hurt, not great considering the level of puncher Limond is.

Plenty of fighters go down and get hurt against flush punches from lesser fighters and went on to show GREAT CHINS, lets look:

What about Ali-Cooper - how could Ali be out against Cooper and take flush shots from Foreman/Frazier/Liston?

Joe Frazier against Mike Bruce and Bonavena

Dempsey-Fireman Flyn - knocked out in the first

Hatton - Maggee

Then theres the supposed king of china chins:

ANTHONY MUNDINE - ko'd from 1 shot from light hitting Sven Otke, goes onto beat Danny Green, fight closely with Kessler and rack some world class wins against the likes of SOliman and Echols.

Another point is Limmond hit allot of punches perfectly flush and it took allot to put Amir down, it wasn't a 1 shot demolition. He was obviously hurt BUT he did what a top fighters supposed to do by getting up and fighting fire with fire

I've been a big Amir Khan critic like much of the forum but I became a fan of him on Saturday night

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Plenty of fighters go down and get hurt against flush punches from lesser fighters and went on to show GREAT CHINS, lets look:

What about Ali-Cooper - how could Ali be out against Cooper and take flush shots from Foreman/Frazier/Liston?

Joe Frazier against Mike Bruce and Bonavena

Dempsey-Fireman Flyn - knocked out in the first

Hatton - Maggee

Then theres the supposed king of china chins:

ANTHONY MUNDINE - ko'd from 1 shot from light hitting Sven Otke, goes onto beat Danny Green, fight closely with Kessler and rack some world class wins against the likes of SOliman and Echols.

It's not the fact that Limond was a lesser fighter, my point is he's not a puncher, many of the above you name were. Theres no shame in being floored but almost be ko'ed by a light-hitting fighter does concern me slightly.

Again you could make excuses for the above you name. Mundine only had 10 fights when he fought the undefeated Ottke for the world title, and was stopped very late in the fight after being ahead on the scorecards.

Frazier was only having his second fight and by all accounts got up battered Bruce all over the ring. There are doubts over the Dempsey loss as many think he took a dive. And the others you name were all decent punchers in their own right. The big difference is Limond isn't a puncher.

I agree Khan done all he could, he fought back and stopped Limond, shows a fighting heart. My confidence in him taking flush punches from a world class puncher isn't great though. I hope he proves my doubts wrong because I like Khan, he's a decent lad and has good potential for someone so young.

The Valenzuela one was flash knockdown and I believe Oscar stopped him easily about a minute and a half later.

Khan is the new Brian Magee.

He'll probably be ahead in most of his fights like Magee, but you'll always have it in the back of your mind that he can be floored at any moment.

Limond is a classy fighter, but is light hitting small lightweight. This fight exposed Khan badly - his punch resistance and defence are poor. Any big hitting, decently skilled lightweight e.g. Thaxton or Earl, will KO him

Obviously Khan's no Azumah Nelson in the chin stakes, but he is only 20 and that was only his 13th fight.

Yup, Olympic silver medallist and all that and he's judged by that and his claims he's going to win world title by the time he's 21 but what I will say impressed me is how he came right back to completely take control of the fight.

What concerns me is the lack of improvement he's showing. It's all so rushed and disjointed and for that I think you need to look at his training team.

I'm not slating Oliver Harrison, purely putting it how I see it, but where's the improvement?

The only changes I can see are the boy-to-man physical growth.

There's lots of skill there, but doesn't seem to be much thought in how to use them.

Rush in, punch punch, punch, jump out.

I mean, if that right hand had landed right on the jaw I just don't think he'd have got up.

What he did show was a stout heart and good recuperative powers. Get those hands up and chin tucked in and start getting him to sit down on his punches and take the ring centre and make his opponents come to him and he'll improve fight by fight. He's not using his physical advantages to make fights easy at the moment.

Getting knocked down by Wlilie Limond might be the making of him – but only if he looks within himself and thinks 'I nearly got done there and this is why'.

We should give the lad a chance. He's a work in progress after all.