By James Slater – All those critics of WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan who said he would never risk taking a fight with power-puncher Marcos Maidana, owe the Bolton man an apology. For it has been reported on many boxing web sites (ESPN’s Dan Rafael broke the story I believe) how Khan has agreed to the December 11th fight with the interim WBA champ. Maidana, too, has agreed to everything, and the fight is now a go for The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. So Khan won’t be getting the home country advantage it looked like he might get.
“We came to an agreement Tuesday night,” Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told Espn.com. “Khan is on board, Maidana is on board and I am finalising everything with Mandalay Bay..”
As fans know, Argentine banger Maidana asked the WBA to put the fight to purse bids – but now this will not be necessary. A great fight on paper, both men are ultra-confident of victory. And though Khan will not be getting the fight at home as he wished, he will be getting substantially more money than his mandatory challenger. Rafael reports how Khan will earn “at least $1.5 million,” while Maidana will get paid $550,000 plus “an undisclosed bump if he wins.” Khan will also pocket some of the U.K television money (with the fight sure to go out on Sky Sports pay-per-view in the U.K).
Maidana obviously won’t be too happy at getting less money than Khan, but he has agreed to terms. And Maidana does have that added cash incentive to win, also. Many fans remember the quick destruction job fellow banger Breidis Prescott did on Khan, 23-1(17) back in 2008, and they feel Maidana, an even harder puncher than the Colombian, will do something similar. Khan, though, says no.
“I want this fight and the fans want to see this fight,” Khan told ESPN.com. “It’s two explosive styles meeting up. It’s the explosive puncher against the quick and explosive boxer. Maidana wants to stop me from having my legacy, but that is not going to happen. But let him try.”
Maidana, 28-1(26) will try all right! Khan, the younger man by four years at age 23, may be quicker (and he can also hit with fierce accuracy and snap himself, don’t forget) but, as talented as he is, he has been cursed with a shaky chin. This will never go away, even if Khan has vastly improved his defence. Will it only take one good shot from Maidana? Will the interim champ become the full champion and in so doing give Khan’s career one helluva setback?
We’ll find out, it has at last been confirmed, in December!