Khan-Maidana confirmed
WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan confirmed on Tuesday that he will be fighting WBA interim champion, Marcos Maidana. A purse issue between the two has been resolved and all that remains is to determine a venue for the fight.
Initially Khan said that he wanted to have the fight in England, from where he fights, but recent discussions shifted to having it in the U.S. Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, who promotes Khan and Maidana, said that the two cities being considered were Detroit, due to its large Muslim population, and Las Vegas.
HBO also announced an interest in the fight which helped to cement an American platform.
Khan will go in as the favourite, but analysts speculate this could be the kind of fight in which betting odds are skewed. Khan is thought to have more talent and has longer reach than Maidana. Maidana is the more devastating puncher of the two, having knocked out all but two of his opponents, but is more one-dimensional as a fighter. But Khan, with his good looks and youth is also something of a celebrity in the boxing world, especially Britain, which will sometimes give a fighter a bigger boxing reputation than he deserves.
The real question is whether Khan can contend against Maidana’s power. Khan’s chin has come into question given he has not fought many knockout artists and was shockingly knocked out by Breidis Prescott in 2008. Many believe that since then he has avoided the heavy hitters of his division, but Maidana’s status as interim champion makes him unavoidable for Khan.
On the other hand, if Khan is able to use his superior footwork and take advantage of the ring, he may be able to avoid Maidana’s power. Maidana is a typical power-puncher who relies on overwhelming his opponent by pressing him. The key for Khan will be in interrupting this onslaught, be it by using the jab or by clinching. As well, Khan must use his footwork to close in the angles in the ring so that Maidana has no point from which to hit him.
Tags: