Amir Khan has vowed to end the career of Marco Antonio Barrera on March 14 in Manchester. The legendary Mexican has claimed that Khan is nothing special – and has promised to school him like he did Naseem Hamed at the start of the Millennium. “I will beat Khan because I have more experience than him and I’m still a much better fighter than he is,” said Barrera, a three weight world champion. “He is a good young fighter but there’s nothing he can do between now and March 14 to surpass my skills and experience..
“Don’t forget what I did to Prince Naseem Hamed, too, another highly-touted guy with fast hands.”
But Khan, who returned to the UK over the weekend after an intensive, six-week training camp in California, has hit back ahead of the pair’s clash, which will be broadcast live on Sky Box Office in the UK.
“Barrera is a great fighter but it’s my time now,” he said.
“I had a great training camp in LA with Freddie Roach, everything is beginning to fall into place and I’m 100% up for this fight.
“I’ve got a lot to prove to the critics. It’s not going to be easy at the M.E.N, but the sparring I had in LA has really boosted my confidence.
“I don’t think I am going to win this fight – I know I’m going to win it.”
Khan has also been having in depth talks with Manny Pacquiao, who has twice beaten Barrera, as well as a host of other Mexican fighters, and is known as “The Mexican Slayer”.
“Manny’s been giving me some great advice,” said 22-year-old Khan. “We sparred a lot ahead of my last fight, and he’s had some input this time around as well.
“Obviously he’s beaten Barrera before, and he’s given me some good tips.
“He knows how tough these Mexicans can be and what it takes to beat them, and fingers crossed a bit of his magic can rub off on me.”
Tickets, priced at £40, £50, £75, £100, £150, £200 and £300, are available from the following outlets: See Tickets 0871 220 0260 www.seetickets.com
Amir gets a little help from a friend
Amir Khan has been receiving tips on how to defeat Marco Antonio Barrera from Manny Pacquiao, he today revealed.
Khan takes on Barrera at the MEN Arena in Manchester next weekend, and who better to turn to for advice than Pacquiao, who has defeated Barrera on two occasions.
Speaking to Setanta Sports News Khan said:
“He came to my training camp and gave me some good advice, so did Freddie Roach.
“He told me it’s all about big focused and having a game plan in my mind and following that plan throughout the fight.”
Thirty-five year old Barrera is something of a ring legend, but Khan is unfazed insisting he has what it takes to win. He continued:
“He’s got the ring experience; he’s been in this position millions of times before. It’s all about being cool, calm and collected going into the ring. Being focused is the key.”
Big Mac gets Beered Up for Afolabi
Khan-Barrera headlines Mar. 14 PPV show also featuring Cook-Martinez title fight
HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 4, 2009) – Former WBO cruiserweight champion Enzo Maccarinelli has been working on a unique training method for his March 14th WBO cruiserweight title fight against NABO title-holder Ola “Kryptonite” Afolabi, headlined by the showdown between 22-year-old lightweight prospect Amir Khan and Hall of Fame bound multiple world champion, “The Baby Faced Assassin” Marco Antonio Barrera, on pay-per-view love from The M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, United Kingdom.
WBO No. 1 contender Maccarinelli (29-2, 22 KOs) recently revealed his secret for his clash with No. 2 rated Afolabi (13-1-3, 5 KOs), who now has famed trainer Freddie Roach working his corner, for their vacant WBO cruiserweight championship bout – a dozen beer barrels. The Welshman has been lifting, not draining, them to improve his strength and conditioning.
Integrated Sports is distributing three 12-round championship bouts featured on the “Khan-Barrera” pay-per-view card, presented by Frank Warren, in North America for live viewing at 4 PM/ET – 1 PM/PT on cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, TVN, DirecTV and Dish Network in the United States, as well as Viewer’s Choice, Shaw Cable, Star Choice and Bell TV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $24.95. Veteran blow-by-blow announcer Ian Darke and color analyst, former WBC lightweight champion Jim Watt, will be calling the action from ringside for Sky Box Office and Integrated Sports PPV.
The Ring No. 6 rated Maccarinelli balances half-full kegs over his head to increase his core muscle power, in addition to beating car tires with a sledgehammer. “I’ve tried lifting weights before but it’s not really my kind of thing,” Mazzarinelli explained. “So, when a pal of mine suggested something a bit different, I jumped at the chance. It’s a bit tempting to crack open one of the barrels after a hard day’s training, but I’ll leave that until after the fight.
“I’m desperate to get in the ring and take out all my frustrations on Afolabi. 2008 was a bit of a disaster after I lost to David Haye and then couldn’t win back my WBO title. But 2009 is going to be my time. I hear that Afolabi is a bit of a nightmare and dangerous, but that’s just what I wanted. I want to face the best and beat the best, so as far as I’m concerned, bring on the 14th. I am going to unleash hell once I get between those ropes.”
The 12-round main event finds Khan (19-1, 15 KOs), 2004 Olympic silver medallist, defending his WBA International lightweight crown against WBO No. 1 ranked Barrera (65-6, 43 KOs).
In addition to Khan-Barrera and Maccarinelli-Afolabi, another terrific fight will be shown on PPV as WBO super middleweight champion Nicky “Cookie” Cook (29-1, 16 KOs) defends his title belt against undefeated No. 1 contender Roman “Rocky” Martinez (21-0-1, 12 KOs).
Former European champion Cook, rated No. 6 by The Ring, won the WBO super featherweight title via a 12-round unanimous decision in his last fight against Alex Arthur (26-1). NABO super featherweight title-holder Martinez, fighting out of his native Puerto Rico, is ranked WBA No. 9 by The Ring.
Integrated Sports: North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events is Integrated Sports. Among the many events brought to North American viewers by Integrated Sports include World Championship boxing matches featuring Ricky Hatton, Christian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Nicolai Valuev and Ruslan Chagaev. In addition, Integrated Sports has distributed numerous International soccer matches showcasing teams like Club America of Mexico and the National Team of Argentina. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com