KHAN BEAT ALGIERI…AS EXPECTED
Amir Khan
Los Angeles, CA- Last Friday on SPIKE TV, English boxing star Amir Khan (31-3, 19 KO) scored a unanimous decision win over Chris Algieri (20-2, 8 KO) in the main event of the latest installment of Premier Boxing Champions on. The fans at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY and those watching at home witnessed a decent fight between these two welterweights (147 lb.). Khan won a close but clear 115-113 decision on my card, but did not look overly impressive. In fact, he did not look nearly as good as I expected him too against the determined but light-punching Algieri.
JOHN DAVID JACKSON MAKES ALGIERI BETTER
The credit for Algieri’s solid performance should at least partly go to John David Jackson (36-4, 20 KO), a former super welterweight (154) and middleweight (160) champion who also trains current light heavyweight titlist (175) Sergey Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KO). Algieri did a decent job as a pressure fighter, and was able to land some solid blows on Khan. Considering it was their first fight together, Algieri’s performance was quite impressive. It appears Algieri will be a tough guy to look good against for anyone in the future. Unfortunately for the New York native, the quick hands and combination punching of the Brit proved to be too much to overcome.
Kell Brook
WHY DID KHAN NOT FIGHT BROOK INSTEAD?
England’s Kell Brook (35-0, 24 KO) defended his IBF welterweight title the next day (Saturday) against Frankie Gavin (22-2, 13 KO) with a TKO 6. The fact that these are not facing each other is a perfect example of what is wrong with boxing today. A match between Khan and Brook would have generated much more interest and revenue than the Khan-Algieri and Brook-Gavin fights combined. Khan is the biggest boxing star in the UK, and Brook is NOW his domestic rival and IBF champ. From a business perspective, this fight makes a tremendous amount of sense. The reason I believe the bout has not taking place is the apparent arrogance of Mr. Khan.
KHAN BELIEVES BROOK NOT WORTHY
For whatever reason, Khan has claimed for years that Brook does not deserve a fight with him. Khan views Brook as being below his level, despite the fact that Brook is the only one who has held a welterweight strap between the two. Khan has held belts at super lightweight (140), but never welterweight. Amir carries the prestige of being an Olympic Silver Medalist at the 2004 games in Athens, but has been knocked out twice as a pro. In reality, Brook is a titlist in Khan’s current weight class, and won his title by beating a guy who beat one of Khan’s best opponents.
PORTER WIN BETTER THAN ANY OF KHAN’S AT 147
Brook took Shawn Porter’s (25-1-1, 16 KO) zero and his belt when he beat him last year. Porter was coming off wins over Devon Alexander (26-3, 14 KO) and a stop of Paulie Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KO). Porter’s 4-round demolition of Malignaggi was the worst beating of Paulie’s career. It was much more impressive than the TKO11 Khan scored over Paulie a few years prior. The beating Porter put on Alexander was about equal to Amir’s performance, though it was closer on the judges’ cards. Brook essentially “beat the guy who beat the guy”, yet Khan claims he is unworthy. In reality, it may be Khan who is unworthy.
KHAN AVOIDING THE RISK OF FIGHTING BROOK?
Amir pulled out of a fight with Alexander when Devon still held the belt to try and secure a fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (48-0, 26 KO). In my opinion, he did this to avoid the risk of losing before securing a Mayweather payday. Amir only fought Alexander after he was thoroughly beaten for the first time in his career versus Porter and looked a bit lackluster in a comeback fight against journeyman Jesus Soto-Karass (28-10-3, 18 KO). Brook is a solid technical boxer with good power, and Khan knows there is a good chance he could be knocked out and instantly fall into irrelevance. He has a great shot at beating Brook, but Kell is also capable of upsetting the apple cart. We will still likely see a Khan-Brook fight in the future, but only after Brook loses, Khan loses to Floyd, or Floyd retires.
BROOK THE BETTER OPTION FOR MAYWEATHER?
One of the caveats that comes with being the main cash cow in boxing is the fact that each opponent you face must be able to generate a great deal of revenue. A fight with Brook would not generate the maximum revenue possible in September for Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Brook is simply not the draw that Khan is, despite the fact that he is an undefeated champion. Hardcore boxing fans would rather see Brook get a shot at Floyd, but they are outnumbered by the casual fans who would prefer to see Khan share the ring with the pound-for-pound king.
BROOK-KHAN SHOULD SETTLE THINGS ONCE AND FOR ALL
Kell Brook and Amir Khan should have had a blockbuster fight in England this weekend and packed Wembley Stadium with 80,000 fans. I think the easily could have surpassed the 2014 super middleweight (168) rematch between Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KO) and George Groves (21-2, 16 KO) in terms of fan interest. The added storyline of the winner essentially being guaranteed a shot at Mayweather would have bolstered support for the matchup and giving the winner more credibility. Floyd has expressed interest in fighting in the UK in the past, and the winner of Khan-Brook would be the perfect opponent for him. Unfortuantely, boxing often desprives fans of the fights they want to see most, and Khan is likely next in line to fight Floyd. He is a decent opponent for Mayweather, but would be even better with a win over Brook. If Brook won this hypothetical bout, his name would explode in the UK and the rest of the world. Boxing missed a golden opportunity here, but it may still happen in the future. As it stands, Amir Khan is the best opponent Floyd can fight in September from a business perspective. Here’s to hoping the future of boxing will be determined by the most compelling matches instead of the biggest money fights.
Zack “Attack” Young
Co-host Sports Overnight America: Weekend Edition
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