Amir Khan
KHAN MORE OF A RISK THAN GUERRERO OR ALVAREZ?
San Francisco, CA– During the past couple of months, the most persistent rumors are that Amir “King” Khan is the frontrunner to win the Cinco De Mayo weekend, Floyd Mayweather sweepstakes. Khan himself has confirmed this as has Richard Schaeffer of Golden Boy Promotions, as well as Stephen Espinoza of Showtime. This has been met with an almost universal backlash from boxing fans and media alike who dismiss the Bolton, England native as “chinny” and undeserving of a shot at the ‘pound for pound’ king.
KHAN HAS AN INCREDIBLE SKILL SET
But it says here that of all the possible opponents for Mayweather, Khan is the best option for everyone involved. We have seen Floyd neutralize more powerful and heavier handed guys plenty of times before. He would more than likely do this same thing to Marcos Maidana, who is also being discussed as a potential rival for the future hall of famer. It is time to see how Floyd fares against someone who can match his speed. The last time we saw him in with someone faster than him was in 2006 against Zab Judah. Zab gave him all he could handle for the first four rounds, even scoring a flash knockdown which the referee incorrectly ruled a slip. Khan is even faster than Judah and would pose some problems for Mayweather that he hasn’t seen too much recently. He’s certainly much quicker than Mayweather’s two robotic opponents this year, Saul Alvarez and Robert Guerrero who both predictably plodded forward, being easily anticipated by the laser-like, sharpshooting Maywearther.
AMIR WILL “RISK” GOING TO THE BODY
Khan also brings an underrated body attack to his arsenal, as seen in his stoppage of Judah and his near stoppage of Maidana. His speed will allow him to mix these punches up and leave Mayweather wondering where he will be attacking next.
TRIO OF SETBACKS THAT HAUNT AMIR KHAN
People make much of Khan’s three losses and point to these as evidence of what would happen if he were to face off against the 1996 Olympic bronze medalist. But as the old boxing adage goes: styles make fights. Khan was caught by one hitter quitters in his defeats to Breidis Prescott and Danny Garcia. When was the last time Mayweather knocked someone out with one punch? These events would not be replicated in any way if Khan happens to get the call for the big money bout against “Money.” Lamont Peterson won a close, controversial decision over Khan by staying in the pocket against his British rival, and he had to walk through hellacious combinations to get there. Now ask yourself this: do you think Mayweather, one of the most safety-first fighters of all time, would be willing to do this as well?
KHAN HAS WORLDWIDE FAN APPEAL!
Mayweather is a huge name in the America’s but he’s not as much of a star on the larger international scene. A fight against Khan could change that for him. As Khan himself said in an interview with ringtv this past November, “I’m a big name in Dubai, probably a bigger name than Floyd. I’m a huge name in England. I’m a bigger name than Floyd in Pakistan and India. India and Pakistan have a population of 1.2 billion people. If Floyd wants to be a global star he has to fight people like me. No one else brings that to the table than me.”
AMIR WAS NEVER THE SHY BRITISH TYPE
Khan also pointed out, “If Floyd wants to be a superstar in the world of boxing he has to fight superstars of the world. I have the second most active followers on Twitter after Floyd Mayweather. I have 1.5 million. Floyd has 2.2 million.”
FLOYD WILL BE FAVORED UNTIL HE’S BEATEN!
If this matchup gets made Floyd would be the odds on favorite and deservedly so. He’s one of the best, if not thee best, fighters of this generation. Personally I would also predict Floyd to win, perhaps even scoring a stoppage, but not after being behind on the scorecard at the half of the bout, being forced to adjust, and dig deep. But that is exactly the type of win that Mayweather needs at this point in his career.
Jason B. Nava