by James Slater -Remember when it was first announced that Amir Kahn was going to fight Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera? The fan reaction was huge and most fans were excited about the planned fight. Khan-Barrera certainly created a buzz, that’s for sure. Well, according to an interview with Khan’s trainer Freddie Roach on Boxing News Magazine’s up-to-the-minute web site, another fight of a similar nature to the Barrera showdown may be next on the cards for Khan if he beats WBA light-welterweight champ Andriy Kotlenik on July 18th..
According to the great trainer, who spoke with Boxing News’ Terry Dooley, a fight with another all-time great, yet now faded Mexican, in Erik Morales will be sought out for Khan post-Kotelnik. As has been reported by various sources in the past, “El Terrible,” the former three-weight king, is planning and training for a comeback to take place later this year, and Roach has now gone on record as saying he’d like Khan to face the veteran in said comeback.
Is this a fight that makes sense? Is it another fight that will create a buzz as did Khan-Barrera? Or is this prospective fight a dangerous match-up that will put the ageing Morales in danger of being hurt and embarrassed by the much younger Khan?
Before you decide, here is what Roach said to Dooley about the possible match-up:
“I would like to see Amir make his American debut soon,” Roach said. “They would love him over in America. I am looking at maybe Erik Morales, when he makes his comeback. That is who I’d like to go against next, or guys of that nature. I have the new “Mexican Assassin” in Amir.”
There are many more questions surrounding this possible fight than the ones I’ve asked in the above paragraph. For example, will the fight, if it happens, be at 140-pounds? And if so will it be a world title fight? Would the WBA sanction such a fight? And what would a win over a soon-to-be-33-year-old “El Terrible” do for 22-year-old Khan?
Normally, whenever Roach comes up with an idea that is initially looked at with raised eyebrows – such as his decision to let another of his fighters, in Manny Pacquiao, fight much bigger guys like De La Hoya and Hatton – his wisdom is borne out with the end result. But has Freddie made a mistake by even mentioning this fight? Remember, the Khan-Barrera fight wound up being a big disappointment in the end, and the end result pleased no one. A Khan-Morales fight could be even worse. After all, Morales has been out far longer than had Barrera at the time, and Erik complained of head pains after his last fight, the loss to David Diaz back in August of 2007.
Even if Khan were to, somewhat strangely, decide to drop down to lightweight for a non-title fight with Morales after he’s beaten Kotelnik (if he does so) – a win for Morales would still be an extreme long shot.
The greats deserve better, and we all wish Morales would not come back at all. But if he does, he will surely face nothing but bad flashbacks of his last four defeats if he takes the money offered him and goes in with Khan. Still, as one ESB reader has already said by way of a comment, Andriy Kotlenik may well make this subject a total non-issue on July 18th.