Roach: Khan won´t fight Maidana, should vacate title...

The WBA thing is fucked up... but Khan and his handlers knew what they were getting into when the lobbied to jump the line.

And the "still young" excuse doesn't fly. If he's not too young or inexperienced to challenge for a title, then he's not too young or inexperienced to defend the title.

If he has nothing better lined up, then there's no reason to not defend against the guy in front of you. And so far, nobody's provided a single available option that justifies sidestepping Maidana, who quite frankly is becoming largely overrated by a large faction that apparently includes Freddie Roach.

 

Exactly.

 

I wouldn't disagree fundamentally with any of this, but having fought his mandatory he should be entitled to a voluntary defence if he wants one. The WBA have fucked up ridiculously if this isn't the case (and I suspect strongly that it isn't).

If Khan vacates, then he is clearly doing so to avoid Maidana, who is now overrated but hits a bit too hard for Amir and Roache's liking, and he can be criticised for doing so, but people are criticising him already before finding out who he is fighting next. If it's Alexanda, then that is a good fight IMHO. Ditto Bradley, though that's unlikely. A fight with Kevin Mitchell would also be acceptable IMHO, even though most in the US have probably never even heard of him.

MTF

 

I think the option out there is a fight with Hatton that would largely be decimated if Khan suffers another loss.

Hatton comes back against JMM and wins...Khan/Hatton occurs in the fall and it would be huge. After that fight, it would make sense to go after Maidana.

Fact is I'm torn, but $$$$$ + Hatton is > $ + Maidana + should defend title.

 

I can see actually see the logic in a fight with Hatton, but I hope it doesn't happen. Beating Ricky means very little at this point IMHO (and he would win because Hatton should be retired) and Khan should think very carefully about beating up on one of the UK's most popular fighters when he is already, by common consensus, one of the most disliked British boxer's in recent memory.

For Hatton v Khan read Bugner v Cooper. Does Amir really need any more shit from 'fans' in the UK?

MTF :dunno:

 

The problem was that he (or at least Roach) was talking about vacating without anything specific lined up. As mentioned earlier, Alexander's name keeps getting mentioned, but he's already booked for HBO on 3/6 against Urango.

If Kevin Mitchell is the guy that beat Prescott on the Khan-Salita undercard, then yes that fight makes perfect sense from the angle of Khan beating the man who beat him (although Mitchell would be coming up in weight, no?). It's not one that HBO would buy, but that's a UK-domestic fight that belongs over there, so HBO coverage would be of little concern.

That said, it's hardly the fight over which I envision Roach convincing Khan to dump a belt. A fight with Bradley, sure. A domestic fight? Not sure how great the payday would be or even how big of a draw Mitchell is, but I suppose if an HBO date was guaranteed for his next trip, it'd be well worth the move.

Also for what it's worth, Roach is the trainer, nothing more. As we learned in Pac Land, what he has to say beyond the corner/outside the gym isn't always the final word. It's possible he fights Maidana anyway, and all of this is for naught. Personally, I think Khan beats Maidana on points with his revised style, and knocks him out if he elects to fight with any passion whatsoever.

 

Yeah, that's the guy. Aside from a fight with Hatton, a Mitchell fight is arguably the biggest (realistic) fight that Khan could make in terms of PPV sales in the UK.

The fact is that a fight with Maidana would mean precisely jack to most here. Mitchell, on the other hand, is fairly well known and has had a decent amount of exposure on TV thus far. He's also unbeaten and coming of a career best win against Prescott in his last fight.

Last I heard, the Prescott fight was an eliminator for a title at 135, meaning that Kevin's next fight is likely to be against the delightfully mental Michael Katsidis: himself fairly well known in the UK thanks to a terrestrial fight with Graham Earl a couple of years back. That's a 50/50 fight IMHO and were Mitchell to win and become a 'world' champ himself, a fight with Khan would make much more sense and might tempt HBO more than would otherwise be the case.

I suspect that this is the plan (presuming the plan doesn't involve Ricky Hatton, of course). Mitchell is also a Werren fighter so it shouldn't be difficult to sort between Kevin and Amir. It seems to me that Khan would like to take a time-filling fight prior to Mitchell-Katsidis to see how things develop.

Good to have you around again, btw...

MTF opcorn:

 

Jake it's good to have you back mate.

MTF I'm with you, people are already giving him shit without knowing who he is fighting yet, and dismissing the Mitchell fight without taking into consideration how big that sells over here.

 

We're giving him shit if he skips out on his mandatory. (Just like I said BEFORE Jake appeared in the thread) if he had no intention of defending a title he never should have fought for it.

Funny, Jake essentailly rehashed all I've said throughout this thread. ::

Also...Frank Warren tends to think he's still got paper on Khan despite Khan here talking with Top Rank and Golden Boy...though I'd be SHOCKED if Khan signed with anyone but Golden Boy.

 

"should be" but isn't...thus Maidana as the mandatory.

Unfortunately for Khan fans, you don't get a vote in it.

:kidcool:

 

If Maidana is the mandatory, he is the mandatory. I already said in this thread that Khan should fight him and that vacating would be a duck job.

MTF :dunno:

 

Mandatory schmandatory. He just fought one of those and still got shit. Lets see what happens.

 

Possibly Khan is being screwed. But as Ring magazine once said when Girard was shafted vs Byron Mitchell...... it's hard to feel sorry for a guy who didn't deserve a title shot in the first place and I think that sort of sentiment applies very well to Khan.

He did not deserve a title shot......and now he is left with the net result of playing Sanctioning Body games.

I dont know how brilliant Maidana is or is not....and Jake may be right, the chap is getting overrated....but Khan needs to take the rough with the smooth and just get on with it.

Of course, Frank W is trying to line the guy up against one tomato can after another on PPV, and Maidana probably ruins that symmetry.

 

If Khan didn't deserve a title shot, relatively few people who fight for titles do.

 

He got wasted in 60 seconds by a scrub, he then beat Oisin Fagan, who has more scar tissue than Mickey Rourke, and then be "beat" MAB.....in a farcical affair.

For this, he gets a title shot.

Please.

 

Exactly.

Most title challengers haven't just been KO'd in 1 round by a scrub.

 

KO'd in under 60 seconds....in the immortal words of Lucius Gold......"you couldnt even give me one lousy round"

 

If MAB had KOed Khan though do you think he would have got a title shot?

 

Yes, but not at 140....Khan beat a glorified Super Bantam @135 in very dodgy circumstances, and gets a shot at 140:notallthere:

 

Lucius Sweet.

 

So it was, so it was.

That said, it remains a damn good line on my behalf.:fightme:

 

Fight back on. Interesting.

 

Well well well...

 

Three holes in the ground.

 

::::::

Nice

 

Roach does not want Khan anywhere near Maidana. Its Patterson-D'Amato-Liston all over again. Khan is a bum, and they know it. I mean, Maidana is no great shakes, but he is strong and can hit, and that it seems is enough to put the shits up Freddy and Friends.

 

But it looks like it's on now...

Khan will smash Maidana

 

All Maidana has to do is keep his hands up, and press.

 

Nope. Amir will use him as a mop to clean the canvas. Just watch.

 

I predict they have settled for two interim fights. If the WBA releases a statement that an agreement was reached to avoid the purse bid, it´s not the same as an agreement for the fight. Two sanctiong fees for the WBA. :hammert: