Amir Khan intends to become boxing royalty
Having walked through Paulie Malignaggi and impressed an American audience on Saturday night, the world is now Amir Khan’s oyster as he attempts to become boxing royalty.
With this added reputation comes new challenges and “King” Khan now has to prove that he is worthy of a place in boxing sovereignty. He is now in the position where he can pick his opponents, but he will be bearing in mind that a boxer is only as a good as the fighters he has beaten. Malignaggi was the perfect fight for Khan to showcase his talents. He proved far too much for the New Yorker on the day and his composed performance that featured a strong jab and flashes of power have sent out a warning about the potential of this young fighter.
The WBA champion has announced that he intends to stay at 140lbs and unify the division rather than move up to welterweight.
His opposition for the next fight will be interesting. Marcos Maidana is the name being touted about, the Argentinian has a frightening knockout record of 27 KO’s from his 28 wins and a bout with him would answer any unresolved questions about the durability of Khan’s chin.
However the Bolton native has also surprisingly announced that he plans to fight in the UK at the end of July so that would probably rule out a big Maidana fight for the time being. In which case the recently defeated Kevin Mitchell could be a possible opponent in a domestic clash. His stock went down with that crushing loss to Michael Katsidis and Khan will see him as less of a threat but still a fight that will get the fans excited and draw a big crowd. If anything “The Dagenham Destroyer’s” defeat has made him more of a viable option for Khan.
If not Mitchell then his conqueror Michael Katsidis would present another lucrative option. The Australian was like a wild animal on Saturday night against Mitchell and although it would be a great test for Khan it might be a bit of a risk at this stage of the game as Katsidis looked in phenomenal shape against Mitchell and is a top brawler, he seems like man on the mission at the moment.
Likewise Juan Manuel Marquez has been touted as an opponent but as a solid experienced boxer the veteran Mexican might be a bridge too far for the Bolton youngster at this period in time, especially if they fight in the States. Although Khan’s defence is now looking sturdier and his jab looks particularly good against Malignaggi, Marquez still poses a massive threat and is a resilient boxer who has fought at the top level for years. Freddie Roach, Khan’s trainer, and Khan’s camp will do well to avoid this as it is a potential banana skin that could be another Breidis Prescott, which is 54 seconds of his life that Khan will not want to revisit in a hurry.
Khan said after the Malignaggi bout that he would like to take on Maidana while Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley fought each other in a mini-tournament, with the winners facing off. That is a scintillating prospect for fight fans and will result in a unification clash, although there is still a lot to say about Victor Ortiz, who looked in fine form against Nate Campbell on the Khan-Malignaggi undercard.
Whatever happens right now Khan is a man in demand. Roach sees him as the successor to Manny Pacquiao and if he unifies the division and moves up to the welters he could create a real legacy for himself.
Unroll the red carpets and prepare the throne because if everything goes to plan King Khan will be crowned as an undisputed champion within the next few years.
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