HBO pushing for Khan-Maidana to take place the U.S.
A title fight against junior welterweight interim champion Marcos Maidana may not go as planned for WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan.
Khan would prefer to defend against Maidana in England, his home country, but HBO is pushing to have the fight take place in the United States on December 11. The news came today from Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, with whom Khan and Maidana are represented.
Robert Morales first reported the news to BoxingScene.com, and stated that Richard Schaefer has made an offer for two possible American locations for the bout, either Detroit or Las Vegas.
The rationale behind a Detroit fight is that the city boasts a large Muslim population, which would appeal to champion Amir Khan and guarantee business prospects for the fight.
"Detroit is a possibility because Detroit has the largest Muslim population in the United States. I think that Detroit is ready for a big fight. Of course, Las Vegas is always a popular destination for the Brits. There's a lot of fight fans here in Southern California that would love to see one of these fights in Las Vegas," Schaefer said. He continued, “So I think that this is a fight which fight fans are going to embrace, and Las Vegas is definitely the fight capitol of the world, so that's a good option as well. I know that obviously England is a possibility as well, but you know HBO is very interested in bringing this fight to the United States."
HBO’s interest in picking up the fight comes in the wake of a generally increasing disinterest in professional boxing. Recently, HBO confirmed that they would not be picking up fights in Germany featuring heavyweight titlists and brothers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko due to lack of American interest.
The change in venue would undoubtedly change all of the circumstances of the fight. Khan would prefer fighting in England because he would be the champion and the hometown favourite, giving him the advantage on the scoring cards, while a bout in the States will provide a level of equality and opportunity for Maidana.
HBO’s influence also implies that the broadcasting company has a renewed interest in showing professional boxing to the American public.
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