Dan Smith

Amir Khan – King of What?

Amir Khan – King of What?

I have long been a vocal supporter of Amir Khan, but he seems to be doing his utmost to alienate anybody who still has the belief in him to back him against his many detractors. He has now had a minimum of 2 opportunities to sign up to a World title fight and he has rejected them both. His last fight was against an opponent who was, with all due respect, completely irrelevant. His excuses are changing every time; I want Mayweather, I want Pacquiaio, I want World title fights, and now apparently Kell Brook is not worthy of a fight with King Khan. It is becoming harder and harder to argue that Khan is one of the top fighters in the Welterweight division and, perhaps more importantly, I no longer want to try.

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Avoided Fighters: A Sign of Boxing’s Decline

Avoided Fighters: A Sign of Boxing's Decline

When talking with a friend of mine; a serious boxing-head, the conversation managed to swing around to how Andre ‘Son of God’ Ward (27-0-0) is still marginalized despite garnering quite glowing praise from critics around the world. We got on to this subject as we were discussing the upcoming super-middleweight clash between ‘Saint’ George Groves (19-1-0) and Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch (32-2-0), and how the British public’s interest in the fight had greatly elevated the perceived status of the fight; already supplemented by the fact that there are two World titles on the line. Now, as a massive George Groves fan, I am delighted that he was made mandatory for the IBF title and has been successful in forcing a rematch; the question that lingers in my head is why these two fighters are having two title fights in the space of a year, whilst Ward languishes.

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Amir Khan: will he finally walk the walk?

Amir Khan: will he finally walk the walk?

Returning from the 2004 Olympic games in Athens was a 17 year old boxer from Bolton, whose performances there belied his juvenility and gained him the adoration of a nation. Amir ‘King’ Khan’s star could not be higher back in his home country and, after defeating the man who defeated him in the Olympic final, the professional ranks beckoned with a huge amount of potential being seen in this likable young star. Ten years later and that adoration and faith seems to have faded in the wash slightly. Prior to his impressive victory over his best opponent since his complete capitulation against Danny Garcia, Khan had been busy lobbying quite desperately for a bout with the undefeated phenomenon Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, only for his pleas to fall on deaf ears. Opinion seemed to be split on the subject, however, as many pundits believe that he has the tools to truly give Floyd a test that he most definitely has not been given in a while. The fans, meanwhile, seemed to incessantly question what it is exactly Khan has done to deserve such a coveted opportunity. I wanted to examine why Khan’s credibility is so low right now, but also whether he genuinely has the weaponry to at least threaten Mayweather’s seemingly impregnable fortress.

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