By Bill Patrice – In a few weeks time Amir Khan will face off against Andriy Kotelnik for the WBA light welterweight title. It will be young Amir’s first shot at a recognised ‘world title’. Most fans and analysts alike agree that Khan should have little trouble in disposing of Kotelnik. He is bigger, stronger, faster, highly skilled and coming off a victory over Marco Antonio Barrera. Anything other than a lopsided Khan win would certainly be a shock to most viewers.
This is not Amir Khan’s coming of age fight, even though it will be a first venture into the world title scene. There will undoubtedly be more meaningful fights ahead of him in the near future and the question which pervades any discussion of Khan’s future is: How good is he?
Amir Khan is something of a strange quantity to grapple with, he has an at times strained and unhelpful relationship to the British public, he became a wealthy superstar before he ever fought professionally and he has had to deal with and eventually overcome the ‘hype machine’..
Amir Khan captured the imagination of the British public when he won Silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics in which he was the sole representative of Britain. He had previously proven himself as a talented and exciting youngster winning Gold in the 2003 Junior Olympics as well as three ABA titles. Yet it was Amir’s Olympic win which propelled him to national stardom. Although he lost to the highly skilled Cuban Mario Kindelan in the finals it was clear for all who witnessed it that Britain now potentially had a serious talent on their hands. Prior to turning professional Khan avenged his previous losses to Kindelan in an amateur contest which incredibly, was screened live primetime on ITV. Everyone eagerly awaited the professional career of young Amir Khan and as they did so too did the trouble begin.
Fame and fortune are hard to contain and control for fighters, the often quoted comment by Joe Louis that ‘its hard to get up and run at 4am when your wearing silk underwear’ comes back into use time and time again, when fighters seemingly lose something fundamental in their quest for glory. Yet how does that truth translate to those showered with media attention and money before even beginning a career? No one can doubt that Khan’s aspirations were genuine and that the possibility for world recognition in the professional game is a tantalising offer. The problem for Khan was not so much his inner desire but the way in which the world was now being constructed around him. He recorded routine victories over the domestic journeymen: Baz Carey, David Bailey and Steve Ghetin and then began juxtaposing these wins with fights against imported European fighters with more respectable ‘looking’ records. The wins were typically spectacular and Khan’s incredible speed and athleticism were put on display for massive audiences on ITV.
Yet there were warning signs developing for Amir Khan, the primary being his seeming desire every time out to fight almost exceptionally recklessly. This trend seemed to be exacerbated as his career progressed. He would tell us that he fights to entertain, this flying in the face of the most important principle of boxing ‘protect yourself at all times.’
As Khan’s marketability increased, his level of opposition did not. The public were being fed the same fighters over and over, and whilst this is a staple of fighter’s early careers not often is it coupled with such massive exposure to the glitz and glamour of the fight game. Khan fought against opponents in front of sell out crowds, the entire nation watching his name up in lights. He had a team around him constantly reminding him how good he was, how important he was, how great he would become. Khan never gave off the impression that this was going to his head, this I believe a positive reflection of his person. However conversely it is almost impossible to deny that his fighting was being affected by it. In one shocking event Khan actually let his opponent Laszlo Komjathi hit him clean, telling us after the fight it was for the crowd’s entertainment. A nervous and agitated Frank Warren looked on. This reckless fighting saw him dropped by respectable Willie Limond before finally tightening his defence and handling him well in the seventh round prompting a retirement.
It would appear the step up in class we had waited so long for would soon be arriving, for although Khan’s first round blow-out of Graham Earl was billed as his coming of age, insiders knew it was anything but: Earl was stopped in the very first round by his next opponent. Khan’s shutout decision win over the undersized Gairy St Clair was one of his best performances to date, and two fights later he had been moved from ITV to Sky box office for his fight against Bredis Prescott.
The Prescott fight was the train coming Amir Khan’s way, ever since the hype machine surrounding him somehow convinced him that he ought to fight like Mike Tyson: be explosive at all times and thrill the crowd. Khan ran and it is not exaggeration to use the term at the huge punching Prescott. He was smashed to smithereens in a matter of seconds and found his unbeaten run had come to an end. Yet perhaps more shocking than Khan’s dramatic defeat, was the response to it in the aftermath. Nicky Piper even had the audacity to say that Khan had actually done ‘nothing wrong’, but had simply come up against a better fighter. The almost baffling refusal on the part of many to acknowledge Khan’s glaring error in choosing to run into Prescott’s punches was confusing. Worse yet was the popular response by many on the street. Radio phone-ins and internet forums saw a litany of hate swarming around young Amir Khan, most of it coming from Britain. This author had the unpleasant experience of seeing entire crowds in pubs rejoice at Khan’s defeat. The cause of this dislike cannot be known for certain, certainly there are racial elements and undoubtedly there is a resentment of Khan’s superstar status before ever having faced a genuine contender.
Flash-forward nine months and the world around Amir Khan is a very different place. He left his team and new trainer Jorge Rubio and joined Freddie Roach in his wildcard gym. Roach immediately hailed Khan’s ability and told us he would without doubt be his next world champion. Khan’s fight against Barrera may have ended unsatisfactorily but the basis for all future success was clear to see. Khan’s defence was tight, and the very first thing on his mind when the action commenced was not allowing Barrera to hit him. Khan’s natural assets have always been there to see: he stands at 5ft 10 incredible for a lightweight/light-welterweight; he possesses an impressive athletic physique, and crucially is incredibly agile and has stunning hand speed.
Khan is no longer the centre of attention in his training quarters, no more are the days of superstar Amir, he now trains alongside some of the world’s best and is the centre of no one’s attention until it is his turn to work with Roach. Manny Pacquiao among others speak very highly of the young man and it is obvious that his feet are firmly back on the ground. Amir Khan should be praised for his decision to join Freddie Roach at such a young age, he will no doubt right the wrongs of his past career and this author is certain will compete and be victorious on the world scene. The critics will speak incessantly about Khan’s weak chin, not acknowledging his previous willingness to actually get hit.
Amir Khan has overcome the hype machine which once convinced him to trade recklessly for the thrill of the occasion, he has a bright future ahead of him and he deserves it. It will continue on June 26th when he squares off against Andriy Kotelnik a fight in which this author foresees only one winner: Amir Khan.