So the 24-year-old Khan has taken it upon himself in the wake of this incessant questioning to do what very few athletes in the vast world of pro sports have the courage to do: set the record straight, once and for all, one question at a time.
After winning a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics as a 17-year-old, much was expected of the young pugilist. England was looking for a new star in boxing. Former featherweight champion "Prince" Naseem Hamed fought his last bout in 2002. And heavyweight kingpin Lennox Lewis decided to hang up his gloves in 2003 after a TKO victory over Vitali Klitschko. So the boxing fans of England were desperate for a fighter to rally around. And to his credit, Khan got his much-hyped career off to a great start. Beginning with his first professional bout in July of 2005, Khan ran his record up to 18-0 before deciding to take on Colombian power puncher Breidis Prescott (19-0) in a showdown of undefeated prospects in 2008. In front of a packed house at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England, Khan and his supporters could not have written out a "worst case scenario" any worse than what took place. Only 54 seconds into the first round, referee Tony O'Connor had no choice but to stop the fight after Prescott floored Khan for the second time, this time seeing Khan end up in a crumpled heap in his own corner.
Queue up the questions! Here they come! It was this fight against Prescott, 6 September 2008, that Khan had his most vehement critics lining up to fire away. "He's over-hyped," they said, or "He has a glass chin," others said.Even at that point, with still a very good record of 18-1, many thought his career was virtually over. He would never be the fighter everyone envisioned. He didn't have what so many people call "it," that special level of greatness to call upon when the going got truly tough. Muhammad Ali and "Sugar" Ray Leonard had "it." Khan, obviously, didn't.
So what did he do? Give up? Quit? Absolutely not.
Khan still had the desire to be a great champion. But he knew, following the shocking and brutal upset loss to Prescott, that he needed a change of scenery. So shortly after the Prescott destruction, Khan packed up and made the trek across the great pond to join up with none other than trainer extraordinaire, Freddie Roach, in Hollywood, California, at Roach's famed Wildcard Gym. Khan was very aware that Roach had the know-how to match his will to win. So they got started. And Khan got back on the winning track. Sure, he won fights against guys who had no business in the ring with him, and he also won fights against Marco Antonio Barrera and Paulie Malignaggi, two fighters with big names who were both shadows of their former selves. But he was winning. And winning is all that matters, right? Well, sort of.
Even after his 11th round demolition of Malignaggi in May of 2010, Khan was still questioned about his level of competition and his ability to take a punch from a true heavy hitter. So for his next fight, Khan sought out the toughest hombre he could get his hands on, and oh did he pick a good one. Khan chose Marcos Maidana, a sledgehammer-handed Argentinean who brought a 29-1 record to the table with 27 of his victories coming before the final bell. When they met at Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas last December, Khan got off to a tremendous start, dropping Maidana in the opening round with a well-placed body shot. Maidana did very well just to make it back to his feet, but once he did, the real fight was on. From the 2nd round on, it was a constant back and forth slugfest, both guys landing tremendous shots one right after another. In the 10th round, Maidana caught Khan with a perfect right hand counterpunch, not quite dropping Khan but staggering him badly. Khan did everything he could to survive the round, tying up Maidana and fighting off the ropes as best he could. The 11th and 12th rounds were not dissimilar to the 10th round, with Maidana stalking Khan trying to finish him off. But finishing Khan off was the one thing Maidana could not do on that night. Khan regained his composure, fought back, and even stunned a game Maidana down the stretch to earn a well-deserved unanimous decision. It was only after this fight with Maidana, a fight many experts predicted Khan would never survive, that Khan was once again listed among the top fighters in his weight class.
With one of the biggest questions surrounding him answered, the durability of his chin, Khan set his sights a little higher. Khan laid out a three-piece plan for 2011. First of all, Khan wanted to be known as the best junior welterweight in the whole of the United Kingdom. Second, Khan wanted a unification showdown with undefeated American belt-holder Timothy Bradley. And to top it all off, Khan wants to set up a rematch with, you guessed it, Breidis Prescott, obviously to avenge the only blemish on his record. Seems simple enough, right?
The only fighter in the U.K. who could argue his claim as the best junior welterweight on the island was Paul McCloskey, a tough Irish southpaw with an impressive yet untested 22-0 record. Khan met McCloskey on 16 April of this year at the same M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England, where Khan was laid horizontally (twice) at the hands of Prescott.
The fight was cut short (pun intended) after an inadvertent clash of heads in the 6th round caused a deep gash above McCloskey's left eye. After the ringside physician called a halt to the bout, the fight was to be decided by the three judges' scorecards. All three cards were unanimous, six rounds to none, in favor of Khan. Best fighter in the U.K.? Check. Now on to phase 2.Khan and his promoters offered Timothy Bradley a very generous revenue split to meet Khan in July in the U.S. in a junior welterweight title unification. Unfortunately for Khan and everyone else around the world who was anxious to see the fight, Bradley turned it down. His reasons unknown, questions are now surfacing about Bradley's desire to face top competition. Funny ol' world, isn't it?
Khan, still wanting a July fight in preparation of his (fingers crossed) fall rematch with Prescott, then turned his attention to the best opponent available, none other than Zab Judah. Sure, Judah has his flaws. His attention wavers at times. He sometimes doesn't rise to the big occasion. But it has been well noted over the past few months that although Judah's biggest losses have come seven pounds north of the junior welterweight division, welterweight, he has only lost once as a junior welterweight. And the man who defeated him way back in 2001, Kostya Tszyu, just received boxing immortality by way of induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Definitely not something to overlook. And since returning from 147 pounds back down to the junior welterweight division, Judah has won his last three fights, two by knockout. Add to that the fact that Judah now has former pound-for-pound stalwart Pernell Whitaker in his corner as head trainer. Whitaker, a southpaw like Judah, has seemed to work wonders with Judah thus far with his defense, conditioning, and his mental focus.
So why in this world would Khan risk his improving record and reputation against such a formidable opponent? Cause that's just what he does. Khan goes out and conducts himself in a manner which we wish all our favorite athletes would mimic. When Khan's training was questioned, he went out and secured the services of the best trainer in the game. When his chin and durability were questioned, he went out and fought the hardest hitter in his division and beat him at his own game over 12 rounds. And when he couldn't line up a fight with the top fighter in the division, he went out and got a fight with perhaps the most talented fighter in the division.
But don't for one second think the questions have stopped for Amir Khan. Since signing the fight with Judah, Khan has now had his decision-making questioned. Go figure. Paul McCloskey, yes the same Paul McCloskey whom Khan dismantled just a few months ago, views Judah as a potential "banana peel for Khan," saying Khan could derail all his progress since the loss to Prescott by taking this fight. But the fight is on, tonight, at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas, and Khan is ready to go to battle again.
So what happens if Khan beats Judah tonight and looks impressive doing so? I'm neither guaranteeing nor predicting this will happen, but it could. It definitely could. And why not? Khan has stepped up and answered every possible question about himself, one at a time. Khan's trainer, Freddie Roach, has said on numerous occasions that Khan is right on the cusp of joining the elite fighters in the world and challenging for a top spot on the world pound-for-pound list. And in a world where so many athletes seem to be only concerned about their next payday and their next endorsement deal, it is rather refreshing to have a guy right in front of us who is willing to go out and fight. Just fight. Not duck anyone, not avoid anyone, not sidestep anyone. Just fight. Why wouldn't we want to pay attention to a guy like this? We yearn for guys like this. So keep questioning Amir Khan, win or lose. He seems to thrive on it. He also seems to just keep fighting... and winning.
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