By James Slater: Amir Khan may have lost out on his “No Doubt” rematch with Lamont Peterson, who controversially defeated him on points in December of last year, yet he is on the verge of landing a much bigger fight – maybe even two.
According to various boxing publications and web sites – including The Daily Mail and ESPN.co.uk – Khan is expected to return to the ring in June or July (country and venue to be decided), most likely against reigning WBC 140-pound champ Danny Garcia. That fight would be a big enough deal on its own, yet the IBF and WBA belts may also be on the line in the fight. Peterson, due to it being revealed ahead of the return with Khan that he tested positive for an illegal stimulant, faces being left with no titles and maybe even a long suspension.
Khan, if he can defeat Garcia, could therefore wind up with all three belts around his waist. Trainer Freddie Roach told The Daily Mail that the plan will then be to “catch” Floyd Mayweather Junior before the end of 2012 – Roach feeling “Money’s” legs are beginning to slow down and that his speedy fighter will be the man to capitalise.
“If it’s [Danny] Garcia (next), Amir will be too fast and hard-punching for him,” Roach told The Daily Mail. “Whoever it is, we’ll do this one more fight and then go up to welterweight to look for Floyd Mayweather. I see Floyd’s legs beginning to go and him slowing up a little. If we can get him as early as December, Amir can beat him.”
First things first. Mayweather, who said the other day (according to a report in Sports Illustrated) that the odds were 80-20 that he would never fight again, must serve his time in jail and then decide on his ring future, and then Khan must defeat Garcia, which is no sure thing. And how would the fans react if Mayweather announced he was fighting Khan at the end of the year and not Manny Pacquiao? And as for Floyd’s legs “beginning to go,” that is by no means a fact.
Khan, and Roach, should take one fight at a time in my opinion. If the Garcia fight does get made (in what would be “Swift’s” first defence since beating legend Erik Morales for the WBC belt a while back), and if it winds up being a three-belt unification, the bout will be hugely significant. But enough for “Money” to take a look at facing the winner? That’s very debatable at best.
As for Peterson, though he maintains he did nothing wrong, and though the IBF have yet to decide on whether or not to strip him, his future doesn’t look so great. Khan, as livid as can be, is saying he was lucky not to have been seriously injured when he fought a “juiced” Peterson last year.
“Now I realise the danger I was in at the original fight,” Khan told Jeff Powel. “Peterson could have seriously damaged me. He could also have destroyed his own life. Because he was juiced up he took more punishment than was good for him and I don’t think he’s ever going to recover fully from an eye injury he sustained that night.”
Bad times indeed: for Peterson and his fans. Over in Las Vegas, where the rematch was set for May 19th, fans of both fighters are now most unhappy that the fight with the tagline that wound up being incredibly ironic is no more. HBO and Golden Boy are seriously out of pocket, yet the fans who have flown over to Vegas, booked hotel rooms and taken time off work, are deserving of the most sympathy. And spare a thought for another British fighter in Gary Sykes, who has seen his dream fight, once-in-a-lifetime chance against Adrien Broner fall apart.