By Neal Dunne: On the 6th September 2008, Bredis Prescott broke the hearts of 20,000 fans in a packed MEN Arena and shattered the dreams of Amir Khan, an Olympic Silver medallist and the hope of a nation. Prescott turned up in Manchester as a known puncher and Khan had showed frailties with his punch resistance in previous fights when facing fighters with no such reputation. The first punch Prescott landed was a jab which clearly shook Khan to his boots and then the massacre that followed was what makes Boxing such an addictive and exciting sport. Prescott’s career looked to be on the crest of a wave as big fights beckoned and Khan’s career and credentials were full of doubt.
Since that fight the two fighters have gone in opposite directions. It has been Khan who put together a string of wins at the top level, a win over ring legend Marco Antonio Barrera was followed by the dethroning of highly regarded World Light Welterweight champion Andriy Kotelnik. Four defences of his title has led to a Fifth against Zab Judah scheduled for this summer. Judah is a world class opponent and a massive name in world boxing yet, so much has Khans stock risen, it is a fight Khan is expected to win, some people even calling it a miss-match.
Prescott, however, won one and lost one following the khan fight and was then matched with another unbeaten English prospect in Kevin Mitchell. Despite his demolition of Khan, people had started to call Prescott a four round fighter and the general thought was that if Kevin could get through the initial onslaught then he should win comfortably.
Mitchell put on a life time best performance and easily out-boxed his opponent at range, a feat which was even more impressive as Prescott looked much bigger and more rangy on the night. Prescott did show to be more than a four round fighter though as he marched forward and looked dangerous for the whole 12 but it was a lack of boxing skill which was where the Columbian fell short.
The Calibre of fighter that Khan is now facing and the names he is being linked with are at the very top of the boxing tree. Prescott has put together three low profile wins since but there is little chance of a fighter with his recent record of securing a fight with the Bolton man. Khan is considered one of the top boxers in the world today and is a massive draw on both sides of the pond.
Khan struggled to find an opponent for his home coming in his previous outing finally settling for European Champion and unbeaten Irishman Paul McCloskey. During the search, Prescott continually called out is prior victim, shouts that seemed to be ignored. Following the McCloskey fight Khan saw a unification fight with fellow champion Timothy Bradley collapse which again prompted a search for a new opponent. Again Prescott put his name forward with little acknowledgement from the Khan camp.
The shouts aren’t confined to Prescott and the people that surround him however. Each time Khan is looking for his next opponent Boxing Fans and Experts on internet forums and on TV Channels are mentioning the name of Bredis Prescott. When the Judah fight was confirmed it seemed the majority people who follow the game were disappointed, citing Prescott as their preferred choice.
With all this interest can Khan continue to overlook Prescott? Would such a fight be as high profile and generate as much money as the alternatives that Khan is taking?
Will Bredis Prescott eventually get the rematch he does or doesn’t deserve?