Returning from the 2004 Olympic games in Athens was a 17 year old boxer from Bolton, whose performances there belied his juvenility and gained him the adoration of a nation. Amir ‘King’ Khan’s star could not be higher back in his home country and, after defeating the man who defeated him in the Olympic final, the professional ranks beckoned with a huge amount of potential being seen in this likable young star. Ten years later and that adoration and faith seems to have faded in the wash slightly. Prior to his impressive victory over his best opponent since his complete capitulation against Danny Garcia, Khan had been busy lobbying quite desperately for a bout with the undefeated phenomenon Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, only for his pleas to fall on deaf ears. Opinion seemed to be split on the subject, however, as many pundits believe that he has the tools to truly give Floyd a test that he most definitely has not been given in a while. The fans, meanwhile, seemed to incessantly question what it is exactly Khan has done to deserve such a coveted opportunity. I wanted to examine why Khan’s credibility is so low right now, but also whether he genuinely has the weaponry to at least threaten Mayweather’s seemingly impregnable fortress.
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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: A Look Back at Mayweather vs Maidana, A Measurement of the ‘New’ Amir Khan, & a Look at the Same Old Adrien Broner!!!
Greg H. (Bronx, NYC): Going into the Maidana fight I thought Floyd Mayweather was in for an easy night, but I know you felt it would be tough from the beginning. What were your thoughts about both of their performance? And do you think a rematch is warranted?
Vivek W. (ESB): From the moment this fight was signed, I felt we would get precisely the fight we saw at the end of the night. I was shocked at the odds when they were initially announced, and I was even more shocked to see that they ballooned to the point in which they did by fight night (12:1). I don’t claim to know boxing any better than the next man, but what I learned once again is that the countless hours of film study in the still of the night does make a difference when giving educated feedback. Mayweather has always performed with a certain level of genius; but my logic from day one was that there was no way a precision based puncher who throws one shot at a time could get a decisive victory over a fighter who throws 70 punches per round with power at the end of each one.
Amir Khan displays overall style improvements in his UD win against Luis Collazo
Amir Khan has had 15 title fights since 2007 and his welterweight debut against Luis Collazo at MGM Grand on Saturday was no exception. His opponent was strong and game but somewhat limited as a boxer and was expected to test Khan’s ability to deal with raw power and aggression.
Khan showed progress in the way he used his speed. His fast footwork did not appear to be chaotic like in previous outings and maneuvered him in proper range and correct angle towards the heavy handed southpaw Collazo. His hand speed was purposeful this time; he delivered sharp straight shots from comfortable range combined with good movement and defensive alert. The bulky and menacing Collazo was dazzled by the fast and accurate combos and constant motion of his opponent while he was looking for an opening and trying to walk Khan down to the corner.
Amir Khan Defeats Luis Collazo Via Unanimous Decision In Co-Feature On SHOWTIME PPV
British star Amir Khan floored Luis Collazo three times en route to a 12-round unanimous decision 117-106, 119-104, 119-104.
Khan (29-3, 19 KOs), in his first bout at 147 pounds, showcased his speed, footwork and precision from the opening bell. Khan landed 50 percent of his power punches and mixed in a dose of roughhouse tactics, which added up to a frustrating night for Collazo.
Both fighters were fined a point in the eighth at separate times by referee Vic Drakulich. With Khan holding Collazo’s head down, Collazo was fined for a low blow. Just seconds later, Khan was penalized one point for holding.
The Moment – Big Fight Preview: Mayweather’s mindset, Khan’s toughest clash and Broner getting back to basics
Probably three of the top ten draws in boxing right now, today’s event featuring Adrien Broner, Floyd Mayweather and Amir Khan is one to relish.
Granted, real boxing fans know that the headline clash between Mayweather and Marcos Maidana is about as one-sided a bout as ‘Money’ has been in for a long time. However, a chance to also witness Broner back to his spectacular best and Khan in a real 50/50 bout makes this a special card.
Also featuring will be some of Mayweather Promotions’ best prospects as well as another UK Olympic medalist that Golden Boy Promotions are hoping to turn into the next Amir Khan. With such a stacked show it can be hard to get your head around all that is on offer, so here is a breakdown of all the goings on involved in The Moment.
Roach thinks a Khan vs. Pacquiao fight is possible
Trainer Freddie Roach doesn’t see a Top Rank – Golden Boy Promotions issue as getting in the way of a potential huge money matchup between Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan in the near future. Roach, who previously trained Khan, says he makes his own decisions about his career, and he thinks that a fight between him and Pacquiao is a definite possibility. Of course, none of this will mean anything if Pacquiao doesn’t win his next fight against WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley on April 12th, and if Khan doesn’t beat Luis Collazo in their fight on May 3rd.
“Khan’s responsible for his own actions,” Roach said to the Telegraph. “Never say never. I’m not so sure it would be in England, even though Manny loves the place. He would want a truck load of money to fight there. It would most likely be in the U.S, if it ever happened.”
Hatton: Khan deserves the Mayweather fight if he beats Collazo
While some boxing fans feel that a win over 32-year-old Luis Collazo (35-5, 18 KO’s) isn’t a big enough win to catapult Amir Khan (28-3, 19 KO’s) into a big fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., Ricky Hatton thinks Khan should be given the Mayweather fight off of a victory over Collazo. Hatton admires Collazo’s ability after having beaten him by a 12 round decision 7 years ago when Collazo was much younger and in possession of the WBA 147lb title.
Collazo has been hanging around the sport ever since, but he stopped fighting well known opposition after a loss to Andre Berto in 2009. Collazo went through a 5 year period where he fought largely C level opposition until his win over Victor Ortiz earlier this year. Ortiz is arguably a low B level fighter, if not a C level guy at this point in his career.
Khan might still be undefeated if he were trained by Oliver Harrison, says Charles
Don Charles, the trainer for heavyweight Dereck Chisora, thinks the three times beaten Amir Khan (28-3, 19 KO’s) would still be an unbeaten fighter if he had stuck it out with his original trainer Oliver Harrison. Khan left Harrison early on with his pro career and was trained by a Cuban trainer Jorge Rubio for his loss to Breidis Prescott in 2008.
Khan then moved on after that to trainer Los Angeles, California based trainer Freddie Roach, and after a run of good luck with him, Khan was then beaten in back to back fights by Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia. Khan then replaced Roach with the Oakland, California based Virgil Hunter, and Khan has since gone 2-0, albeit against weaker opposition than what he had faced with Roach.
Amir Khan, Luis Collazo media interview transcript
Kelly Swanson
I’m going to go ahead and call this media conference call today the second moment of “THE MOMENT” for a fight that was announced this week. We have Amir “King” Khan and also Luis Collazo joining us today, along with Richard Schaefer, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Boy Promotions, and Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Showtime. So, very exciting, and I’m going to turn it over to the participants and start with Richard Schaefer, who will make the introductions.
Luis Collazo: I’m just grateful for this opportunity to be back on top of the boxing world
During Wednesday’s conference call for Amir Khan and Luis Collazo, I had a chance to ask Collazo how he felt about being back on the big stage after he disappeared from the boxing spotlight. He responded by telling me that just talking about it made him emotional. Collazo says “I’m just grateful for this opportunity to be back on top of the boxing world”. He has given his life to god and said that he is no longer on his own time but ” Right now I’m on God’s time”.
Collazo hasn’t lost a fight since 2011 to Freddy Hernandez. Since then he has won four straight with his most recent fight being his most important. His victory over Victor Ortiz put him in the position to challenge Amir Khan as the co-main event to Mayweather-Maidana on Showtime PPV.