Khan doesn’t mind if he’s boring on Saturday against Molina

By ESB - 12/11/2012 - Comments

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By Michael Collins: Former IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (26-3, 18 KO’s) plans on fighting with a lot more self-control when he steps inside the ring on Saturday night against unbeaten Carlos Molina (17-0, 7 KO’s) in Los Angeles, California. Khan knows he can’t afford to lose another fight after losing his last two, so he’s going to be looking to fight a completely disciplined fight where he takes zero changes of getting hurt.

Khan said to thesun.co.uk “It’s all about minimum risk. I will beat up my opponent until they quit. I don’t have to go in there and knock them out. I do that I could start making mistakes and maybe get caught.”

It sounds like Khan is going to focus on throwing a lot of jabs and single power shots instead of the flashy combinations that he liked to throw in the past to try and KO his opponents and impress the crowds. That could work for him but Khan would still be presented with opponents that will walk through his guard to get in close enough to work him over in the same way that Lamont Peterson did.

That’s going to be a problem for Khan because he’ll either be forced to run, shove, hold or fight. We found out already that Khan can’t run for 12 rounds, so he won’t be able to use that for a long fight. Khan also can’t shove because most referees won’t put up with that and will warn Khan and then likely take points off.

It’ll come down to in the end whether Khan can fight because he’s not going to beat the good light welterweights by fighting in a boring manner and taking few risks. Whether Khan wants to go to war or not, they’ll force a war on him and he’ll either have to fight or run and clinch for his life. I like his trainer Virgil Hunter, but he’s not going to turn Khan into a superb inside fighter like Andre Ward in one training camp.

I seriously doubt that Khan can ever become a good inside fighter even if he stays with Hunter the remainder of his career. You’ve got to start early with that kind of style and you have to have a special knack for it. You have to like that way of fighting, and I see Khan doing well with that style nor the safety first style he’s talking about.