29.11.06 – By Colin Shields: I raise this question based on a trend I have noticed about Amir Khan’s opposition. We all expect a young, inexperienced fighter to be fed the traditional fare of tomato-cans on his way up the rankings but, in Khan’s case, the opposition appears to be even more selectively chosen. Khan’s professional opposition to date:
David Bailey 3-4-0 0 Ko’s 0% Ko
Baz Carey 9-13-3 3 Ko’s 33% Ko
Steve Gethin 9-18-2 5 Ko’s 56% Ko
Daniel Thorpe 19-44-2 7 Ko’s 37% Ko
Vitali Martynov 9-1-0 6 Ko’s 67% Ko
Jackson Williams 12-3-0 0 Ko’s 0% Ko
Laszlo Komjathi 24-10-1 11 Ko’s 46% Ko
Colin Bain 9-1-1 0 Ko’s 0% Ko
Ryan Barrett 12-2-1 3 Ko’s 25% ko
And on December 9th he will face:
Rachid Drilzane 10-3-0 0 Ko’s 0% Ko
This looks to be a very weak standard of opposition, in both senses of the word. The fighter with the highest Ko percentage, Vitali Martynov, was knocked down twice and TKO’d in the second round in the fight preceding the Khan bout, and that was by a feather-fisted Willy Blain (9-0, 1Ko going in).
This makes me think that Frank Warren had confidence that his boy would knock him out before he could unleash. This turned out to be the case, as Khan stopped Martynov in 1:15 of the first.
The point that I am making is that Warren seems to be afraid to put Khan in with anyone who can hit.
I can see why, Khan is the new darling of the British Boxing scene and such an event would be financially disastrous for Warren. When Khan fights, he still has an amateurish approach- he doesn’t bring his hands back to cover his face when he throws in combination and when he has to back off, he does so with his chin high in the air.
I understand that Khan is young but after 10 fights I really hope Warren ups the ante somewhat. I mean, here is a kid that’s talking about fighting for a title in 2007.
I hope Warren isn’t misleading Khan or getting his hopes up because, as he will find out, professional boxing is a long way away from 12oz gloves and headgear.