Who next for Amir Khan?
It’s almost decision time for WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan as he plans a summer spectacular for British fight fans.
There is certainly a decent crop of talent for the Bolton youngster to pick from. The light-welterweight division is arguably the hottest division in town right now and “King Khan” has promised a big name for his fans at the end of July.
The main name floating round is Cuban veteran Joel Casamayor. The 38-year old may be advancing in years but he would represent a good challenge for Khan. A fighter of his calibre and experience will know all the tricks of the trade and Khan is in for a real education if this fight is made. It would be a calculated and positive step in the right direction, raising the bar another notch from Paulie Malignaggi who he fought last.
Coming through “El Cepillpo” will be no easy task though, with 22 KO’s out of his 37 wins its fair to say Casamayor can pack a whack, certainly more so than Malignaggi. The 1992 Barcelona Olympics gold medallist’s nickname translates as “The Brush” which alludes to his smooth uppercut, a key weapon in his arsenal.
He is quite an awkward fighter, happy to let his opponent take the centre of the ring while he moves about on the outskirts. He likes to jab his way in and clinch before his opponent can land a counterpunch. Casamayor is a former WBA super-featherweight champion and WBC lightweight champion. Two years ago the Cuban earned an impressive victory over Michael Katsidis and then proceeded to lose his next bout against the gritty Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in a tight and exciting match up.
The fight looks set to be on the 31st of July although it’s far from a signed deal with other names in the hat as well. Australian warrior Katsidis is another being touted about as a possible opponent, although Khan’s trainer Freddie Roach claims that he wants too much money. Katsidis was last in action on the 15th of May, the same night as Khan and he took apart fellow Briton Kevin Mitchell in spectacular style. As a big banger this would be a huge test for King Khan, but interestingly Katsidis lost to Casamayor, so deduce from that what you will.
Also being touted about is Marcos Maidana, some would say the most anti-Khan of the lot. The biggest criticism level at Khan is his chin, the fact is that the WBA champ has been dropped against some less that international calibre fighters like Richard Drilzane, Willie Limond and Michael Gomez, while contender Bredis Prescott destroyed him within a minute. With his potent record of 27 KO’s from his 28 wins, Maidana offers a major threat to the Bolton native. However in recent fights against Andriy Kotelnik and Malignaggi, Khan’s defence looked much sharper and he absorbed a fair bit of leather.
However the Argentinean is carrying a back injury and is unlikely to be fit in time to make any fight soon. The two other big guns of the division Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley Junior would seem unlikely at this stage as well. Alexander could be a future opponent after he was mocked by Roach who claimed he didn’t even know who he was, while Bradley is busy with Kotelnik.
Elsewhere Juan Manuel Marquez and Victor Ortiz are being linked but look unlikely at this stage of the game, while domestic rivals John Murray and Kevin Mitchell would not be on the radar at the moment.
After his fight with Malignaggi, Khan is now better known to a larger audience and should start upping his game. If he continues down this sure and steady road then he has potential to be around for a long time as King Khan aims to conquer the light-middleweights.
Tags: