by James Slater – According to the man himself, in speaking on his Twitter page, reigning WBA light welterweight champ Amir Khan has agreed to get it on, at last, with interim WBA boss Marcos Maidana. Boxrec.com have picked up this story, and the exciting news is curently doing the rounds on the internet. And, if Khan really does intend to put pen to paper with regards to finally meeting his mandatory challenger (and there is no real reason to doubt the Twitter release), fans everywhere can get ready to watch a truly fascinating fight..
There is still some confusion about where the fight will take place, with Khan apparently hoping still for a U.K venue. But Golden Boy, who sent Khan the fight offer last week, want the fight in either Las Vegas or Detroit (as reported on ESPN.com). Wherever the fight takes place, though, the fans will be tuning in! For months now, Khan’s critics have accused him of running, not only from the lethal-hitting Argentinian, but from all big punchers in his weight class. And it is true, that since being shocked inside a single round by bomber Breidis Prescott in September of 2008, Khan has gone nowhere near a puncher (Oisin Fagin, a past it Marco Antonio Barrera, Andriy Kotelnik and, most recently, Paulie Malignaggi being Khan’s post-Prescott opposition – can you spot a banger amongst that lot?)
But, now, in accepting the challenge of the man with almost 30 KO’s to his name, Khan has indeed agreed to “man up” and do the right thing. Will Khan’s decision – to face Maidana on December 11th so as not to find himself stripped of his WBA belt – prove to be a costly one?
It really would be a massive setback for the 23-year-old, peaking world champ if he lost to Maidana; especially if he were destroyed in quick time. Make no mistake about it, however, this could be what happens in December. Maidana, despite how ordinary he may have looked last time out, against DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley, is that dangerous. Particularly dangerous because of how up for this fight he is due to his being made to wait for it for so long, Maidana is sure to come out swinging, looking to detonate a bomb on the Bolton man’s fragile jaw.
It will be up to Khan, the faster, more accomplished boxer of the two, to keep his chin out of harm’s way while sticking and moving, looking to but on the clinic that will see him to a decision victory. A Khan stoppage win cannot be ruled out, but that would really be something of a shock.
A classic boxer Vs. puncher match-up, that for some time looked like it may not happen, is as close as it’s ever been to being made official. “The puncher never beats the boxer,” British legend Chris Eubank once said. “Simply The Best” proved this line of thinking to be true a number of times (most notably against Nigel Benn); can “King Khan” now do likewise against the monstrous puncher from Carlos Monzon country?