Boxing News Thread
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De La Hoya: Mares’ punches were on the belt line of Agbeko
By Dan Ambrose: Oscar De La Hoya, the promoter of IBF bantamweight champion Abner Mares (22-0, 13 KO’s), believes that Mares deserved to get the decision over Joseph Agbeko (28-3, 22 KO’s) last Saturday night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Unlike the vast majority of boxing fans who felt that Mares should have been penalized and/or disqualified for the high number of low blows he landed in his decision win over Agbeko, De La Hoya feels that Mares wasn’t throwing low blows. De La Hoya saw the punches landing on the belt line rather than low, which is what they appeared to be in watching the slow motion replays by Showtime.
“I watched the fight again and those punches were on the belt line,” De La Hoya said on his twitter account. “The last one hit Agbeko’s glove. I still have it 115-111.”
Whether De La Hoya wants to admit it or not, boxing fans saw Mares as fighting a dirty fight and they’re not happy with the results. They collectively want a rematch between the two fighters, and it might be a mistake if De La Hoya chooses to ignore this. Mares is in the position where he’s going to need to fight Agbeko again if he wants to quiet the restless fans.
He can’t just move on because this fight and his fight with Vic Darchinyan were both marred by low blows thrown by Mares. He’s got to at least fight Agbeko again, and ideally fight Vic Darchinyan again as well, but with a different referee. They need Vic Drakulich to work their rematch, because as we saw in disqualifying Edison Miranda recently for low blows, Drakulich won’t hesitate to disqualify a fighter if they throw repeated low blows.
It’s not surprising that De La Hoya is siding with his fighter. That’s kind of expected, but to say that those shots were landing on the belt line, that’s a bit much.
By Dan Ambrose: Oscar De La Hoya, the promoter of IBF bantamweight champion Abner Mares (22-0, 13 KO’s), believes that Mares deserved to get the decision over Joseph Agbeko (28-3, 22 KO’s) last Saturday night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Unlike the vast majority of boxing fans who felt that Mares should have been penalized and/or disqualified for the high number of low blows he landed in his decision win over Agbeko, De La Hoya feels that Mares wasn’t throwing low blows. De La Hoya saw the punches landing on the belt line rather than low, which is what they appeared to be in watching the slow motion replays by Showtime.
“I watched the fight again and those punches were on the belt line,” De La Hoya said on his twitter account. “The last one hit Agbeko’s glove. I still have it 115-111.”
Whether De La Hoya wants to admit it or not, boxing fans saw Mares as fighting a dirty fight and they’re not happy with the results. They collectively want a rematch between the two fighters, and it might be a mistake if De La Hoya chooses to ignore this. Mares is in the position where he’s going to need to fight Agbeko again if he wants to quiet the restless fans.
He can’t just move on because this fight and his fight with Vic Darchinyan were both marred by low blows thrown by Mares. He’s got to at least fight Agbeko again, and ideally fight Vic Darchinyan again as well, but with a different referee. They need Vic Drakulich to work their rematch, because as we saw in disqualifying Edison Miranda recently for low blows, Drakulich won’t hesitate to disqualify a fighter if they throw repeated low blows.
It’s not surprising that De La Hoya is siding with his fighter. That’s kind of expected, but to say that those shots were landing on the belt line, that’s a bit much.
Arum: Donaire fighting Mares doesn’t make sense because of his questionable win over
By Eric Thomas: It looks as if IBF bantamweight champion Abner Mares won’t be getting a big money unification fight against WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire after his promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank pretty much shot that idea down because of the circumstances surrounding Mares’s win over Joseph Agbeko last Saturday night.
Mares defeats Agbeko by a 12 round majority decision in a fight in which Mares fouled Agbeko repeatedly during the entire fight while the referee Russell Mora stood idly by giving little more than an occasional warning to Mares.
The outcome appears to be tainted in the eyes of many boxing fans, and Arum isn’t eager to step in between a possible Agbeko-Mares rematch to let his fighter Donaire fight a tainted Mares. Don King, the promoter for Agbeko, is already petitioning the International Boxing Federation to have Agbeko given an immediate rematch due to the excessive low blows that Mares landed.
If the IBF mandates an immediate rematch, Mares won’t have any other option but to fight Agbeko once more. You can bet that Mora won’t be the referee next time around if there is a next time.
This is what Arum said to ringtv: “Mares should do is to give this guy a rematch. I think that the IBF is going to order a rematch because that was not good…Donaire would be pleased to fight the winner of the rematch in a heartbeat, without any question. We’ll fight the winner of the rematch between Mares-Agbeko. But to go in and to have Donaire fight Mares now, when he clearly had a questionable victory, that wouldn’t make much sense.”
That leaves Mares with few options. The bantamweight division doesn’t have a lot of names as it is, and with Donaire not fighting him because of the controversy, Mares needs to give Agbeko a rematch.
Mares previously had a problem with throwing low blows in his fight before Agbeko against Vic Darchinyan. Mares landed a huge number of low blows all throughout the fight. While it wasn’t as many as he threw in the Agbeko bout, it was still a considerable amount that strayed low in that fight. Darchinyan was more than a little unhappy after the fight and he protested the low blows by creating a video of all them and sending it to Showtime.
By Eric Thomas: It looks as if IBF bantamweight champion Abner Mares won’t be getting a big money unification fight against WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire after his promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank pretty much shot that idea down because of the circumstances surrounding Mares’s win over Joseph Agbeko last Saturday night.
Mares defeats Agbeko by a 12 round majority decision in a fight in which Mares fouled Agbeko repeatedly during the entire fight while the referee Russell Mora stood idly by giving little more than an occasional warning to Mares.
The outcome appears to be tainted in the eyes of many boxing fans, and Arum isn’t eager to step in between a possible Agbeko-Mares rematch to let his fighter Donaire fight a tainted Mares. Don King, the promoter for Agbeko, is already petitioning the International Boxing Federation to have Agbeko given an immediate rematch due to the excessive low blows that Mares landed.
If the IBF mandates an immediate rematch, Mares won’t have any other option but to fight Agbeko once more. You can bet that Mora won’t be the referee next time around if there is a next time.
This is what Arum said to ringtv: “Mares should do is to give this guy a rematch. I think that the IBF is going to order a rematch because that was not good…Donaire would be pleased to fight the winner of the rematch in a heartbeat, without any question. We’ll fight the winner of the rematch between Mares-Agbeko. But to go in and to have Donaire fight Mares now, when he clearly had a questionable victory, that wouldn’t make much sense.”
That leaves Mares with few options. The bantamweight division doesn’t have a lot of names as it is, and with Donaire not fighting him because of the controversy, Mares needs to give Agbeko a rematch.
Mares previously had a problem with throwing low blows in his fight before Agbeko against Vic Darchinyan. Mares landed a huge number of low blows all throughout the fight. While it wasn’t as many as he threw in the Agbeko bout, it was still a considerable amount that strayed low in that fight. Darchinyan was more than a little unhappy after the fight and he protested the low blows by creating a video of all them and sending it to Showtime.
UK Pound For Pound List: Khan #1, Froch #2, Cleverly #3
By Adam Fillingham: With the United Kingdom’s boxing scene thriving right now I thought I would create an unofficial Pound for pound list. This is all my own opinion and not based on fact so feel free to disagree.
1. Amir Khan (26-1 18KOs) Light Welterweight
The World Boxing Association (WBA) and IBF light welterweight champion Khan is looking for one more fight at this weight after demolishing the experienced Zab Judah. Amir has ripped through the division and a big win over Timothy Bradley, Eric Morales or Robert Guerrero would finalise his success.
2. Carl Froch (28-1 20KOs) Super Middleweight
WBC super middleweight champion and super six contestant Froch has had a mega schedule over the last few years. The Nottinghamshire fighter has locked horns with Jean Pascal (defeated the Canadian who went on to become a light heavyweight world champion), Jermain Taylor (in America) Andre Dirrell (A wafer thin victory), Mikkel Kessler (A close decision loss) and Arthur Abraham (Completely dismantled the German). Froch will now take on “world number one” Andre Ward in the final of the super six tournament.
3. Nathan Cleverly (22-0 11KOs) Light heavyweight
The newly crowned WBO light heavyweight champion of the world Nathan Cleverly won his title in unlucky style. The unfortunate withdrawal of Juergen Braehmer and the late replacement Tony Bellew coming in overweight the Welshman was almost given the belt in his fight with Aleksy Kuziemski. The always entertaining Welshman is currently looking for a fight with fellow Brit Tony Bellew.
4. Ricky Burns (32-2 9KOs) Super Featherweight
The Scottish WBO super featherweight champion has successfully defended his belt three times since claiming it in 2010 against Roman Martinez. His last fight was a farce against Nicky Cook when Cook hurt his back mid way through round one and had to pull out of the fight. Burns is now looking for a fight with Adrien Broner for his forth defence.
5. David Haye (25-2 23KOs) Heavyweight
David Haye. The Ex WBA heavyweight champion of the world. Talked up the biggest fight of his life against Wladimir Klitschko and failed to deliver due to a broken little toe. Despite that fact Haye is still one of the best heavyweights out there and was a fantastic cruiserweight so hopefully he can rack up a couple of wins and gain a rematch against one of the Ukrainian brothers.
6. Kell Brook (24-0 16KOs) Welterweight
Brook has taken a slow route to the top and is still not there yet. The Sheffield fighter has a couple of notable wins on his record such as Lovemore N’dou and Michael Jennings but bigger and better fights are out there for him. Hopefully a world title shot awaits after his bout against Pole Rafal Jackiewicz
7. Matthew Macklin (28-3 19KOs) Middleweight
Macklin was unlucky not to gain the WBA middleweight strap when he took on Felix Sturm in Germany. A gift home decision meant the champion kept his belt but Macklin will hopefully come back even stronger.
8. Kevin Mitchell (32-1 24KOs) Lightweight
Kevin Mitchell came back from defeat against Michael Katsidis with an emphatic victory over European champion John Murray. Mitchell fought the fight of his life and thank fully for him the hard work paid off. Mitchell is now looking for a world shot or maybe one defence of his new intercontinental belt.
9. Darren Barker (32-0 14KOs) Middleweight
Darren Barker has been given a gift shot and world number one Sergio Martinez so hopefully the two time European champion can take full advantage. Barker unfortunately has no real big name on his record so a victory over Martinez is unlikely although do not rule it out.
10. Tyson Fury (15-0 10KOs) Heavyweight
Having the best name in boxing can only get you so far but the new British and Commonwealth champion has made a big statement defeating the tough Derek Chisora. Fury has been looking for a fight with Martin Rogan but now might have to settle for Irish champion Coleman Barrett.
By Adam Fillingham: With the United Kingdom’s boxing scene thriving right now I thought I would create an unofficial Pound for pound list. This is all my own opinion and not based on fact so feel free to disagree.
1. Amir Khan (26-1 18KOs) Light Welterweight
The World Boxing Association (WBA) and IBF light welterweight champion Khan is looking for one more fight at this weight after demolishing the experienced Zab Judah. Amir has ripped through the division and a big win over Timothy Bradley, Eric Morales or Robert Guerrero would finalise his success.
2. Carl Froch (28-1 20KOs) Super Middleweight
WBC super middleweight champion and super six contestant Froch has had a mega schedule over the last few years. The Nottinghamshire fighter has locked horns with Jean Pascal (defeated the Canadian who went on to become a light heavyweight world champion), Jermain Taylor (in America) Andre Dirrell (A wafer thin victory), Mikkel Kessler (A close decision loss) and Arthur Abraham (Completely dismantled the German). Froch will now take on “world number one” Andre Ward in the final of the super six tournament.
3. Nathan Cleverly (22-0 11KOs) Light heavyweight
The newly crowned WBO light heavyweight champion of the world Nathan Cleverly won his title in unlucky style. The unfortunate withdrawal of Juergen Braehmer and the late replacement Tony Bellew coming in overweight the Welshman was almost given the belt in his fight with Aleksy Kuziemski. The always entertaining Welshman is currently looking for a fight with fellow Brit Tony Bellew.
4. Ricky Burns (32-2 9KOs) Super Featherweight
The Scottish WBO super featherweight champion has successfully defended his belt three times since claiming it in 2010 against Roman Martinez. His last fight was a farce against Nicky Cook when Cook hurt his back mid way through round one and had to pull out of the fight. Burns is now looking for a fight with Adrien Broner for his forth defence.
5. David Haye (25-2 23KOs) Heavyweight
David Haye. The Ex WBA heavyweight champion of the world. Talked up the biggest fight of his life against Wladimir Klitschko and failed to deliver due to a broken little toe. Despite that fact Haye is still one of the best heavyweights out there and was a fantastic cruiserweight so hopefully he can rack up a couple of wins and gain a rematch against one of the Ukrainian brothers.
6. Kell Brook (24-0 16KOs) Welterweight
Brook has taken a slow route to the top and is still not there yet. The Sheffield fighter has a couple of notable wins on his record such as Lovemore N’dou and Michael Jennings but bigger and better fights are out there for him. Hopefully a world title shot awaits after his bout against Pole Rafal Jackiewicz
7. Matthew Macklin (28-3 19KOs) Middleweight
Macklin was unlucky not to gain the WBA middleweight strap when he took on Felix Sturm in Germany. A gift home decision meant the champion kept his belt but Macklin will hopefully come back even stronger.
8. Kevin Mitchell (32-1 24KOs) Lightweight
Kevin Mitchell came back from defeat against Michael Katsidis with an emphatic victory over European champion John Murray. Mitchell fought the fight of his life and thank fully for him the hard work paid off. Mitchell is now looking for a world shot or maybe one defence of his new intercontinental belt.
9. Darren Barker (32-0 14KOs) Middleweight
Darren Barker has been given a gift shot and world number one Sergio Martinez so hopefully the two time European champion can take full advantage. Barker unfortunately has no real big name on his record so a victory over Martinez is unlikely although do not rule it out.
10. Tyson Fury (15-0 10KOs) Heavyweight
Having the best name in boxing can only get you so far but the new British and Commonwealth champion has made a big statement defeating the tough Derek Chisora. Fury has been looking for a fight with Martin Rogan but now might have to settle for Irish champion Coleman Barrett.
Mayweather Sr believes De La Hoya will fight again, wants to train him
By Dan Ambrose: Floyd Mayweather Sr is under the impression that 38-year-old Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KO’s) is considering making a comeback and Mayweather, who previously trained him in the past, would like to train him for his comeback.
There has been rumors recently about De La Hoya making a comeback but he’s yet to confirm whether they’re in fact true or not. De La Hoya hasn’t fought in three years since being stopped in the 8th round by Manny Pacquiao in a brutally one-sided fight in December 2008. At the time of the loss, De La Hoya had lost four out of his last seven fights and you really could consider it five out of the last seven, because his win over Felix Sturm in June 2004 was a highly questionable one.
If De La Hoya does make a comeback, he would have to take on someone vulnerable for him to have a fighting chance at winning. De La Hoya probably wouldn’t want to make a comeback to fight someone that is fighting at the top of their game unless it’s someone like Floyd Mayweather Jr. I could see De La Hoya making a comeback for that fight because Mayweather Jr isn’t a huge puncher and would likely peck away at De La Hoya for 12 rounds rather than going after him the way that Pacquiao did. However, if De La Hoya does decide to make a comeback, Mayweather Sr would be an excellent trainer for him because De La Hoya will need to be working on his defense to make sure he doesn’t get hit quite so much as he did in his last fight.
By Dan Ambrose: Floyd Mayweather Sr is under the impression that 38-year-old Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KO’s) is considering making a comeback and Mayweather, who previously trained him in the past, would like to train him for his comeback.
There has been rumors recently about De La Hoya making a comeback but he’s yet to confirm whether they’re in fact true or not. De La Hoya hasn’t fought in three years since being stopped in the 8th round by Manny Pacquiao in a brutally one-sided fight in December 2008. At the time of the loss, De La Hoya had lost four out of his last seven fights and you really could consider it five out of the last seven, because his win over Felix Sturm in June 2004 was a highly questionable one.
If De La Hoya does make a comeback, he would have to take on someone vulnerable for him to have a fighting chance at winning. De La Hoya probably wouldn’t want to make a comeback to fight someone that is fighting at the top of their game unless it’s someone like Floyd Mayweather Jr. I could see De La Hoya making a comeback for that fight because Mayweather Jr isn’t a huge puncher and would likely peck away at De La Hoya for 12 rounds rather than going after him the way that Pacquiao did. However, if De La Hoya does decide to make a comeback, Mayweather Sr would be an excellent trainer for him because De La Hoya will need to be working on his defense to make sure he doesn’t get hit quite so much as he did in his last fight.
Amir Khan: “I think Floyd Mayweather will avoid me like he’s avoiding Manny
Amir Khan: “I think Floyd Mayweather will avoid me like he’s avoiding Manny Pacquiao and other fighters out there”
by Geoffrey Ciani (Exclusive Interview by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) - Last week’s 137th edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio (brought to you by CWH Promotions) featured an exclusive interview with the reigning unified WBA/IBF junior welterweight champion of the world Amir “King” Khan (26-1, 18 KOs) who is coming off a very impressive fifth round knockout victory against “Super” Zab Judah (41-7, 28 KOs). Amir spoke about his victory and his future and touched on a wide variety of subjects including Timothy Bradley, Floyd Mayweather versus Victor Ortiz, Robert Guerrero versus Marcos Maidana, Erik Morales versus Lucas Matthysse, moving up to welterweight, the Super Six Finals matchup between Carl Froch and Andre Ward, Wladimir Klitschko’s victory against David Haye, and more! Here is a complete transcript from that interview:
JENNA J: I do believe it is time for our final guest of this week’s show. He is making his seventh appearance with On the Ropes. We’re joined by the unified WBA/IBF junior welterweight champion of the world, Amir “King” Khan. How is everything going today Amir?
AMIR KHAN: Everything is going really well. You know I’m back in England now in my hometown Bolton just relaxing. I’m just catching up on time with my family and friends really. I’ve been away in America for such a long time, so it’s always nice to come back and see my family and friends and also it’s the month of Ramadan so I’m fasting. I’m fasting at the moment so hopefully I’m just enjoying that as well and in the next couple of days I’m going to do my pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. I’ll be there for two weeks so that will be nice for me. That will be like a holiday for me to go over there and do that, and then I’ll come back and hopefully then we’ll know we where we are especially with opponents for the next fight.
JENNA: Awesome, well you came back to England with a new trinket. You have the IBF title. Can you tell us a little bit about your fight that you had last month against Zab Judah?
KHAN: Yeah I fought Zab Judah in Vegas. It was a good fight. He was the IBF champion, I was the WBA champion, and it was a unification in the 140 pound division. You know Zab is a very tricky fighter, a southpaw, quick, and the fight went on and I won with a fifth round KO. It was a body shot that won me the fight. I was happy with the performance and the way things went, and it was a big step up for me in experience because Zab’s a very experienced fighter and also coming off a good win against Mabuza and picking up the IBF title and also with his new trainer Pernell Whitaker who in a way I think made him a better fighter. He’s come down to 140 again and I think it was a big test for both of us really, and I came out the winner of that fight and hopefully I’ll move onto bigger and better things now.
JENNA: Alright well last time we had you on you were discussing the fight and you expected it to be the toughest one of your career, but you actually had a pretty easy night. Were you at all surprised with how easily you got it done?
KHAN: Well you know, we knew we would train hard and I knew if I stuck to the game the fight would be easy and that’s all I did. I stuck to the game plan, didn’t make any mistakes, and went in there and won it in good style. I didn’t really get hit much. I got caught a few times in the fight and that’s just boxing for you, but it was a good performance from me and it didn’t take a lot out of me.
JENNA: Okay well you mentioned before that when you get done with your pilgrimage that you will have an idea of maybe who you will be fighting, because there are two fights that will be coming up. You have Robert Guerrero against Marcos Maidana and you also have Erik Morales versus Lucas Matthysse in September. Out of either of those fights, do you have a particular preference as to what opponent you would like to face?
KHAN: You know the Guerrero and Maidana fight, my views are in that fight there Maidana is just going to go in there and be the bigger man and win the fight. He’ll beat Guerrero and after quite a bad performance against Morales I think he’d like to prove something. So I give that fight to Maidana and I think to myself, do I have to fight Maidana again because I’ve already beaten him? There wouldn’t be a new title. Do I want to fight someone? What do I got to gain? I’ve already beaten the guy! Also there is no motivation in that fight, but looking on the other hand Erik Morales if fighting against Lucas Matthysse. You got two names there who are good fighters. Also the WBC title is on the line. So there is another title to pick up, so there is something to get from the fight. Also if Erik Morales wins I think that will be a good fight for me because he’s a big name, he sells more tickets than Maidana, and like I said there’s a title on the line. Even if it’s Matthysse, it’s someone I have not boxed and someone I have not beaten and I think I’ll take that fight. The best option I’m more looking at the Morales fight against Matthysse.
I think that could be the fight in December for me because we all know that Bradley just doesn’t want to fight me. He doesn’t come to the table to take the fight on. I mean the WBC has stripped Bradley of the title and I think that looks really, really bad to be stripped of a title because he doesn’t want to face me. I think the reason for that is because he knows he’ll get beat. So he can keep on running and maybe for twelve months he’ll be out of the game, and he’s at that age now where he needs to stay active. You know he’s 27! This is the best time for him. This is the prime time for him. If he’s only fighting once a year I think that’s quite bad for someone at his age. But that’s what we’re doing. Hopefully by the time I get back from my pilgrimage I’ll be still in England when the fight against Morales and Matthysse, and Maidana and Guerrero happens. So it will be good just to see who wins them. I mean if it happens to be Maidana again I’ll go back in there and beat him again. I mean I’m not a fighter who’s scared. I’m the only fighter probably in the 140 pound division who’s fighting everyone. I’m fighting the best. I mean I called our Bradley. Zab Judah no one would fight and I went in there and took that fight. I wanted to fight Marquez before Manny fought him and he turned it down. Morales turned it down before, so there is a 50-50 chance he might turn it down again. We don’t know. So it’s quite hard for me to get fights in this division. Also Peterson was another name who is also my mandatory for my IBF title, so I’d be happy to take him on but he turned it down last time so I really think he’ll turn it down again. This leaves me in a really bad position because not many fighters want to face me, and I think there will come a time when I have to move up to 147. I think that will happen early next year.
JENNA: Alright! Well Amir we’re also on the line with my Co-Host Geoff Ciani.
GEOFFREY CIANI: Hi Amir. It’s a great pleasure to have you back on the show and congratulations on your victory.
KHAN: Thank you very much.
CIANI: Back to your fight with Judah, what was it about your style that you think gave Judah so much trouble that you were able to dominate him, an A-level talent, like he’s never been dominated before?
KHAN: I think it was the speed and the game plan that we had set in that fight. I mean Freddie told me always to move from my left and stay away from his back hand. He likes looping big back hands in, and just jab over his jab and use a lot of feints and just take him out of his game plan. I mean Zab Judah normally starts quick in the first few rounds, and if we started a little bit quicker than him that would totally dishearten him and frustrate him. I could see after four rounds that was happening. That’s why we went into the fifth and applied more and more pressure on him because we knew he was very frustrated. Freddie gave me a game plan in that fight which I followed. I think the speed took everything away from him as well and it just made that fight a lot easier.
CIANI: Now before you mentioned how you have a lack of options at 140 pounds and that you might be looking to 147 because nobody at 140 wants to fight you. But another angle on this is a lot of people have said the rumor is that you’re starting to have more problems making 140, and I’m wondering if that’s true and if you felt comfortable at 140 in the Judah fight?
KHAN: Yeah you know I felt comfortable at the weight. I mean I look big at the weight and we trained very hard. The most I’ve ever gone up to in walking around weight is probably 150, ten pounds above the weight. I like to stay around ten pounds over before I start a training camp. Yeah you know at times it does get hard to make the weight because I’m always lean and I’m always in shape. I think my natural weight would be 147, but I think if I want to be 147 I want to walk around at 155 probably just so I’m not too small for the weight. But 140 is an ideal weight for me. Maybe the last two or three pounds are tough to lose, but at the end of the day I’m a very disciplined fighter. If I have to make 140, I’ll make 140. If I have to make 135, I mean I’d kill myself to make that 135. I’ve always made weight one the scales. I’ve never gone over. That’s just how disciplined I am.
CIANI: Now if you could choose your own path, and if all the opponents out there were willing. If you said Timothy Bradley and he’d face or if you said somebody else, who would you most want to face next and at which weight class?
KHAN: Well you know I’d like to face Bradley and take the titles off him. Then probably move up to 147 and face somebody like Berto or someone on the same level as Berto. There are a few big names at 147. Then maybe towards summer time or the end of the year next year I’ll face someone like Floyd Mayweather. At the same time you have to remember now I’m getting stronger and I’m getting more experience on my side. I got the youth behind me as well, whereas Floyd is getting older and a little bit slower so I think it’s the best time to catch him.
JENNA: Alright Amir since we’re talking about future opponents, one we haven’t mentioned yet is one that has an eliminator fight on September 10 against Paul McCloskey and that’s Breidis Prescott. Do you have any interest in having a rematch with him if somehow he comes out the winner in that match?
KHAN: First of all I really think McCloskey will beat him with that awkward style he carries in the fight, but yeah definitely! I’m not one to be scared of that fight. I mean I think we all know if that fight ever happened again there would be one winner, but there are so many big names now around the 140 pound division that I don’t want to lose time and position where I can face them but then if I fight Prescott I’ll miss that chance in fighting them. There are bigger names out there for me that I want to face like Bradley and Morales. If I take the fight against Prescott and beat him, then maybe Morales might not be there again because someone else might beat him, or maybe he might move up in weight, or maybe he might retire. You never know. I know Prescott will always be there. Even if he retired I know he’d come out of retirement to take a fight with me again. I really think I’m one step ahead and on the next level ahead really. I mean it would be like taking a step back and fighting him, but I’m not one to say no. I’d love that fight again and I know that it’s a fight if it happened I would destroy him. I mean it would be one of them fights. If that fight is out there, and I know it’s always going to be there, so that’s why I’m taking the fighters I want to fight first like Morales, and these other big names like Maidana, and I want to fight Bradley because these names might not be there again. Prescott will always be there.
JENNA: Now you say Prescott will always be there, but deep down do you ever have that need to avenge that loss just because of the way you were defeated in that match against Prescott?
KHAN: You know things happen for a reason and I really think that was for the best. I think I wouldn’t be in this position if that didn’t happen, but even if that fight didn’t happen I think everyone knows that was a blessing in disguise, but you know I’d love that fight. I’d want to beat him and prove to everyone, look it was a mistake that I made and I paid for it and look how I’ve come back. I’ve come back faster and stronger. Yeah at the end of the day everyone messages me on Twitter and says they don’t think I should fight him because I’m way past his league and stuff, but maybe there’s one thing in me where I want to avenge that defeat. So in the future that fight will happen.
JENNA: Alright well let’s go back and talk about Timothy Bradley again. You know he had a promotional situation with Gary Shaw Promotions and that contract did run out, but why do you think he’s been very quiet since then and hasn’t even mentioned your name since you won your fight against Zab Judah?
KHAN: The whole truth behind it is Timothy Bradley is scared and he knows he’ll get beat and he’ll get destroyed if he ever fought me! If he goes on to get beaten by me then it will take away a fight between him and Mayweather or him and Pacquiao. That’s the reason I really think he wants to cash in and he wants to avoid the big names who are coming up like myself and fight the big names because he knows maybe if he gets beat by Mayweather then he’ll fight me. He thinks that fight still might be there, but I’ll tell you one thing—if he gets beat by someone like Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao before fighting me I’ll never take that fight with him, because I want to fight him now while he’s at his best and while he’s at his prime and undefeated. I want to prove that I’m the guy to take his zero and I want to beat him. If he doesn’t want to fight me now then that fight will never happen because I mean in my eyes he’s running scared. He knows I’ll beat him 100%. If he had confidence in beating me he would have taken the fight a long time ago, but he was calling me out knowing that I had other names, and it’s like the Prescott situation.
It’s like him calling me out and stuff because he knows I have other names I’m looking at like Morales and like Guerrero. It’s the same thing Bradley was doing. Bradley was calling me out before when I had the McCloskey fight and I had the Maidana fight. As soon as I got past those fights and I said yeah okay! I’ll take up on the offer for the fight you want. He backed out! And look what’s happened with him talking so much and saying he wants to fight me and I’m scared and this and that, and now he’s making himself look like a fool. He doesn’t want the fight. I mean it’s not good for boxing. It certainly takes away his credibility and whatever he’s achieved in the sport. Even with the titles being stripped away from him, that’s an embarrassment in my eyes or in everyone’s eyes in boxing. If you understand the sport of boxing, to be stripped of a title because you don’t want to fight your opposition, I mean it’s a bad thing.
CIANI: Amir, being that you’ve mentioned Floyd so often as a possible future opponent, I’m wondering, do you think somebody like Victor Ortiz is hungry enough and skilled enough to pull the upset against Floyd and were you at all surprised that Floyd actually chose him as his comeback opponent?
KHAN: Well we know Floyd likes to take the easy route and he never wants to fight anyone dangerous. I think fighting Victor Ortiz, I mean Victor in his last fight against Berto had a good performance. He was knocked down a few times and got back up, but the one before that against Peterson was kind of a bad performance. I think he sees flaws in that fight and he knows he can beat him. That’s the reason Floyd’s taking that fight. Floyd handpicks his fights a lot. He’s been doing that all of his career, and he’s done well with it as well. That’s just him. Someone like myself next year who will be dangerous, I think Floyd Mayweather will avoid me like he’s avoiding Manny Pacquiao and other fighters out there. I mean he never takes on dangerous fighters like myself, by taking on a Maidana and Bradley. He likes to go in and take the easy route and fight the easy names that he knows he can beat. At the end of the day you have to remember Victor Ortiz fought on my under cards twice. Maidana is the guy who beat him, and then he goes Victor Ortiz is the biggest challenge out there for him, which in my eyes there are bigger names out there who I know can take Mayweather and give him a tougher fight than Victor. At the end of the day Victor’s a great guy and a great champion, and he’s got a lot of respect from me. I’m good friends with him, but I think Mayweather is just taking an easy route.
CIANI: On another note, I’m curious to get your thoughts on another upcoming fight and that’s the Super Six Finals between Carl Froch and Andre Ward. What are your initial thoughts on that matchup coming up in October?
KHAN: Well you know I know Carl. We live in the same country. We’re from England both of us, so I’m always backing the British fighters. Me and Carl are friends and I would think it would be a tough fight against Ward. Ward is very skillful. I remember Ward in the 2004 Olympic when he won the Gold Medal and he was a great fighter there. I think it will be a very technical fight. Ward will be hitting and moving and be hard to get hit, but with Carl Froch I think he has the power to hurt him. It will be a 50-50 fight. I think it’s a great final. It’s a very good final that’s happening, and I’ll be one to be tuned in for that fight because I know both fighters. I know Carl a little bit better than I know Ward, but it will be a good fight and I think that’s what boxing needs. Boxing needs fights like this. You know you got Carl Froch and Ward who are both at the top of the division and you got people fighting each other! On the other hand you’ve got Bradley and myself. Bradley was knocked off the first position to be put at number two because he didn’t want to fight me. He was avoiding me. He’s scared. I mean this is not good for boxing. The best should fight the best to prove how good you are. I mean that’s why you box. That’s why you’re out there in the sport of boxing—to prove how good you are. I mean there are some big fights coming on in the future and I’ll be watching them.
CIANI: You mentioned how you tend to back your fellow British fighters and how the sport needs these big fights. One of the big fights involving a British fighter was Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye in a heavyweight unification bout, and I’m wondering if you were at all disappointed as many British fans were by the effort put forth by David Haye.
KHAN: I think we were all disappointed that he lost. At the end of the day when you’re fighting such a big opponent and someone who’s very awkward, you don’t want to get too close to him or too involved because he’s got the power to put away anyone. I mean your game plan kind of goes out the window, and I think that’s what happened with David. I think David’s game plan went out the window and he kind of went in there and he couldn’t get his game plan going so he decided to do what he thought might work for him. But it didn’t work against Klitschko. Klitschko went in the fight with smart moves and a smart game plan knowing that he was just going to stay away from David’s big bombs and just hit him with a long jab. I think the jab is the punch that won him the fight. He had great tactics and was very smart in that fight and won the fight. I mean we were all disappointed he lost the fight, but he can still keep his chin up high. I mean he was a natural cruiserweight moving up to heavyweight and winning a world title and then taking on one of the most dangerous fighters in the world, one of the Klitschko brothers. I think it just shows David has a lot of heart and he’s done great in the sport of boxing.
JENNA: Alright well Amir, we just have a few more questions before we let you off the line. You mentioned how some of the big names at 140 really don’t want to face you, but do you see yourself wanting to stay in this weight class until you do get those opportunities so you can be the champion of this weight class before you leave it.
KHAN: I mean I’m praying. You know I’m praying. These people just do not want to fight me. Bradley just does not want to fight me and he’s the only guy left who I want to beat before I move up. He’s not taking the fight. For me, I’m 24 and I want to keep on moving and fighting the best fighters. If he doesn’t want to take a fight, then I want the world of boxing to know he’s just a chicken and scared to take me on. That’s the reason I want to move up to 147 and I’ll clean up in this division. I just have to carry on. At the end of the day I’m not waiting around for him. If he doesn’t fight me in the 140 pound division than he’s lost the chance to take me on, even at 147 I will never give him a big payday fight and we’ll see where he goes from there.
JENNA: Alright now you mentioned 147 pounds a lot. If you do move up to that weight class, do you think you will need time to get accustomed to the weight before you take on a big matchup and also, if it is Floyd Mayweather Junior are you more or less waiting so he gets a little bit older so he’s a little easier to beat?
KHAN: I’m not going to wait! I want to fight Floyd at his best really, so maybe after the next fight for Floyd could be me. So that just shows that I just want to fight Floyd. Maybe in between I might have one or two more fights because Floyd likes to stay out of the game a little bit longer, but I’m ready to fight Floyd even in his next fight. I mean after Victor Ortiz I might have to take him on.
JENNA: Looking forward to 2012, where do you want the fans to recognize you by the end of that year? Do you think you will be considered one of the best pound-for-pound in the world at that point?
KHAN: Definitely! I mean I’m climbing the pound-for-pound rankings slowly and I think I’m in the top ten. So yeah, definitely! I’m just going to keep on winning and keep on winning more fans over as well, especially in America. We’ve built a great fan base in England. Now it’s all about going to America and building that fan base over there. With the three performances that I’ve had in America, which was against Paulie Malignaggi, Maidana, and Zab Judah—they’ve been great performances, and luckily we’ve had HBO who has been broadcasting these big shows. So hopefully within the next twelve months I could see myself being a big star in America and a big name over there. I mean I’ve got a style that people love to watch. I’m explosive with strong power and speed. I’m just trying. I’m still young. I’m 24 and I just want to be the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound. So slowly I’m fighting the best out there and before you know it I’ll be at that position.
JENNA: Okay well Amir, it’s a pleasure having you return to On the Ropes. We thank you for your time and we’re definitely looking forward to seeing who you take on in December.
KHAN: Thank you very much, much appreciated. It was great speaking to you all again. Thank you.
CIANI: Thanks Amir! Best of luck.
KHAN: Thank you very much.
Amir Khan: “I think Floyd Mayweather will avoid me like he’s avoiding Manny Pacquiao and other fighters out there”
by Geoffrey Ciani (Exclusive Interview by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) - Last week’s 137th edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio (brought to you by CWH Promotions) featured an exclusive interview with the reigning unified WBA/IBF junior welterweight champion of the world Amir “King” Khan (26-1, 18 KOs) who is coming off a very impressive fifth round knockout victory against “Super” Zab Judah (41-7, 28 KOs). Amir spoke about his victory and his future and touched on a wide variety of subjects including Timothy Bradley, Floyd Mayweather versus Victor Ortiz, Robert Guerrero versus Marcos Maidana, Erik Morales versus Lucas Matthysse, moving up to welterweight, the Super Six Finals matchup between Carl Froch and Andre Ward, Wladimir Klitschko’s victory against David Haye, and more! Here is a complete transcript from that interview:
JENNA J: I do believe it is time for our final guest of this week’s show. He is making his seventh appearance with On the Ropes. We’re joined by the unified WBA/IBF junior welterweight champion of the world, Amir “King” Khan. How is everything going today Amir?
AMIR KHAN: Everything is going really well. You know I’m back in England now in my hometown Bolton just relaxing. I’m just catching up on time with my family and friends really. I’ve been away in America for such a long time, so it’s always nice to come back and see my family and friends and also it’s the month of Ramadan so I’m fasting. I’m fasting at the moment so hopefully I’m just enjoying that as well and in the next couple of days I’m going to do my pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. I’ll be there for two weeks so that will be nice for me. That will be like a holiday for me to go over there and do that, and then I’ll come back and hopefully then we’ll know we where we are especially with opponents for the next fight.
JENNA: Awesome, well you came back to England with a new trinket. You have the IBF title. Can you tell us a little bit about your fight that you had last month against Zab Judah?
KHAN: Yeah I fought Zab Judah in Vegas. It was a good fight. He was the IBF champion, I was the WBA champion, and it was a unification in the 140 pound division. You know Zab is a very tricky fighter, a southpaw, quick, and the fight went on and I won with a fifth round KO. It was a body shot that won me the fight. I was happy with the performance and the way things went, and it was a big step up for me in experience because Zab’s a very experienced fighter and also coming off a good win against Mabuza and picking up the IBF title and also with his new trainer Pernell Whitaker who in a way I think made him a better fighter. He’s come down to 140 again and I think it was a big test for both of us really, and I came out the winner of that fight and hopefully I’ll move onto bigger and better things now.
JENNA: Alright well last time we had you on you were discussing the fight and you expected it to be the toughest one of your career, but you actually had a pretty easy night. Were you at all surprised with how easily you got it done?
KHAN: Well you know, we knew we would train hard and I knew if I stuck to the game the fight would be easy and that’s all I did. I stuck to the game plan, didn’t make any mistakes, and went in there and won it in good style. I didn’t really get hit much. I got caught a few times in the fight and that’s just boxing for you, but it was a good performance from me and it didn’t take a lot out of me.
JENNA: Okay well you mentioned before that when you get done with your pilgrimage that you will have an idea of maybe who you will be fighting, because there are two fights that will be coming up. You have Robert Guerrero against Marcos Maidana and you also have Erik Morales versus Lucas Matthysse in September. Out of either of those fights, do you have a particular preference as to what opponent you would like to face?
KHAN: You know the Guerrero and Maidana fight, my views are in that fight there Maidana is just going to go in there and be the bigger man and win the fight. He’ll beat Guerrero and after quite a bad performance against Morales I think he’d like to prove something. So I give that fight to Maidana and I think to myself, do I have to fight Maidana again because I’ve already beaten him? There wouldn’t be a new title. Do I want to fight someone? What do I got to gain? I’ve already beaten the guy! Also there is no motivation in that fight, but looking on the other hand Erik Morales if fighting against Lucas Matthysse. You got two names there who are good fighters. Also the WBC title is on the line. So there is another title to pick up, so there is something to get from the fight. Also if Erik Morales wins I think that will be a good fight for me because he’s a big name, he sells more tickets than Maidana, and like I said there’s a title on the line. Even if it’s Matthysse, it’s someone I have not boxed and someone I have not beaten and I think I’ll take that fight. The best option I’m more looking at the Morales fight against Matthysse.
I think that could be the fight in December for me because we all know that Bradley just doesn’t want to fight me. He doesn’t come to the table to take the fight on. I mean the WBC has stripped Bradley of the title and I think that looks really, really bad to be stripped of a title because he doesn’t want to face me. I think the reason for that is because he knows he’ll get beat. So he can keep on running and maybe for twelve months he’ll be out of the game, and he’s at that age now where he needs to stay active. You know he’s 27! This is the best time for him. This is the prime time for him. If he’s only fighting once a year I think that’s quite bad for someone at his age. But that’s what we’re doing. Hopefully by the time I get back from my pilgrimage I’ll be still in England when the fight against Morales and Matthysse, and Maidana and Guerrero happens. So it will be good just to see who wins them. I mean if it happens to be Maidana again I’ll go back in there and beat him again. I mean I’m not a fighter who’s scared. I’m the only fighter probably in the 140 pound division who’s fighting everyone. I’m fighting the best. I mean I called our Bradley. Zab Judah no one would fight and I went in there and took that fight. I wanted to fight Marquez before Manny fought him and he turned it down. Morales turned it down before, so there is a 50-50 chance he might turn it down again. We don’t know. So it’s quite hard for me to get fights in this division. Also Peterson was another name who is also my mandatory for my IBF title, so I’d be happy to take him on but he turned it down last time so I really think he’ll turn it down again. This leaves me in a really bad position because not many fighters want to face me, and I think there will come a time when I have to move up to 147. I think that will happen early next year.
JENNA: Alright! Well Amir we’re also on the line with my Co-Host Geoff Ciani.
GEOFFREY CIANI: Hi Amir. It’s a great pleasure to have you back on the show and congratulations on your victory.
KHAN: Thank you very much.
CIANI: Back to your fight with Judah, what was it about your style that you think gave Judah so much trouble that you were able to dominate him, an A-level talent, like he’s never been dominated before?
KHAN: I think it was the speed and the game plan that we had set in that fight. I mean Freddie told me always to move from my left and stay away from his back hand. He likes looping big back hands in, and just jab over his jab and use a lot of feints and just take him out of his game plan. I mean Zab Judah normally starts quick in the first few rounds, and if we started a little bit quicker than him that would totally dishearten him and frustrate him. I could see after four rounds that was happening. That’s why we went into the fifth and applied more and more pressure on him because we knew he was very frustrated. Freddie gave me a game plan in that fight which I followed. I think the speed took everything away from him as well and it just made that fight a lot easier.
CIANI: Now before you mentioned how you have a lack of options at 140 pounds and that you might be looking to 147 because nobody at 140 wants to fight you. But another angle on this is a lot of people have said the rumor is that you’re starting to have more problems making 140, and I’m wondering if that’s true and if you felt comfortable at 140 in the Judah fight?
KHAN: Yeah you know I felt comfortable at the weight. I mean I look big at the weight and we trained very hard. The most I’ve ever gone up to in walking around weight is probably 150, ten pounds above the weight. I like to stay around ten pounds over before I start a training camp. Yeah you know at times it does get hard to make the weight because I’m always lean and I’m always in shape. I think my natural weight would be 147, but I think if I want to be 147 I want to walk around at 155 probably just so I’m not too small for the weight. But 140 is an ideal weight for me. Maybe the last two or three pounds are tough to lose, but at the end of the day I’m a very disciplined fighter. If I have to make 140, I’ll make 140. If I have to make 135, I mean I’d kill myself to make that 135. I’ve always made weight one the scales. I’ve never gone over. That’s just how disciplined I am.
CIANI: Now if you could choose your own path, and if all the opponents out there were willing. If you said Timothy Bradley and he’d face or if you said somebody else, who would you most want to face next and at which weight class?
KHAN: Well you know I’d like to face Bradley and take the titles off him. Then probably move up to 147 and face somebody like Berto or someone on the same level as Berto. There are a few big names at 147. Then maybe towards summer time or the end of the year next year I’ll face someone like Floyd Mayweather. At the same time you have to remember now I’m getting stronger and I’m getting more experience on my side. I got the youth behind me as well, whereas Floyd is getting older and a little bit slower so I think it’s the best time to catch him.
JENNA: Alright Amir since we’re talking about future opponents, one we haven’t mentioned yet is one that has an eliminator fight on September 10 against Paul McCloskey and that’s Breidis Prescott. Do you have any interest in having a rematch with him if somehow he comes out the winner in that match?
KHAN: First of all I really think McCloskey will beat him with that awkward style he carries in the fight, but yeah definitely! I’m not one to be scared of that fight. I mean I think we all know if that fight ever happened again there would be one winner, but there are so many big names now around the 140 pound division that I don’t want to lose time and position where I can face them but then if I fight Prescott I’ll miss that chance in fighting them. There are bigger names out there for me that I want to face like Bradley and Morales. If I take the fight against Prescott and beat him, then maybe Morales might not be there again because someone else might beat him, or maybe he might move up in weight, or maybe he might retire. You never know. I know Prescott will always be there. Even if he retired I know he’d come out of retirement to take a fight with me again. I really think I’m one step ahead and on the next level ahead really. I mean it would be like taking a step back and fighting him, but I’m not one to say no. I’d love that fight again and I know that it’s a fight if it happened I would destroy him. I mean it would be one of them fights. If that fight is out there, and I know it’s always going to be there, so that’s why I’m taking the fighters I want to fight first like Morales, and these other big names like Maidana, and I want to fight Bradley because these names might not be there again. Prescott will always be there.
JENNA: Now you say Prescott will always be there, but deep down do you ever have that need to avenge that loss just because of the way you were defeated in that match against Prescott?
KHAN: You know things happen for a reason and I really think that was for the best. I think I wouldn’t be in this position if that didn’t happen, but even if that fight didn’t happen I think everyone knows that was a blessing in disguise, but you know I’d love that fight. I’d want to beat him and prove to everyone, look it was a mistake that I made and I paid for it and look how I’ve come back. I’ve come back faster and stronger. Yeah at the end of the day everyone messages me on Twitter and says they don’t think I should fight him because I’m way past his league and stuff, but maybe there’s one thing in me where I want to avenge that defeat. So in the future that fight will happen.
JENNA: Alright well let’s go back and talk about Timothy Bradley again. You know he had a promotional situation with Gary Shaw Promotions and that contract did run out, but why do you think he’s been very quiet since then and hasn’t even mentioned your name since you won your fight against Zab Judah?
KHAN: The whole truth behind it is Timothy Bradley is scared and he knows he’ll get beat and he’ll get destroyed if he ever fought me! If he goes on to get beaten by me then it will take away a fight between him and Mayweather or him and Pacquiao. That’s the reason I really think he wants to cash in and he wants to avoid the big names who are coming up like myself and fight the big names because he knows maybe if he gets beat by Mayweather then he’ll fight me. He thinks that fight still might be there, but I’ll tell you one thing—if he gets beat by someone like Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao before fighting me I’ll never take that fight with him, because I want to fight him now while he’s at his best and while he’s at his prime and undefeated. I want to prove that I’m the guy to take his zero and I want to beat him. If he doesn’t want to fight me now then that fight will never happen because I mean in my eyes he’s running scared. He knows I’ll beat him 100%. If he had confidence in beating me he would have taken the fight a long time ago, but he was calling me out knowing that I had other names, and it’s like the Prescott situation.
It’s like him calling me out and stuff because he knows I have other names I’m looking at like Morales and like Guerrero. It’s the same thing Bradley was doing. Bradley was calling me out before when I had the McCloskey fight and I had the Maidana fight. As soon as I got past those fights and I said yeah okay! I’ll take up on the offer for the fight you want. He backed out! And look what’s happened with him talking so much and saying he wants to fight me and I’m scared and this and that, and now he’s making himself look like a fool. He doesn’t want the fight. I mean it’s not good for boxing. It certainly takes away his credibility and whatever he’s achieved in the sport. Even with the titles being stripped away from him, that’s an embarrassment in my eyes or in everyone’s eyes in boxing. If you understand the sport of boxing, to be stripped of a title because you don’t want to fight your opposition, I mean it’s a bad thing.
CIANI: Amir, being that you’ve mentioned Floyd so often as a possible future opponent, I’m wondering, do you think somebody like Victor Ortiz is hungry enough and skilled enough to pull the upset against Floyd and were you at all surprised that Floyd actually chose him as his comeback opponent?
KHAN: Well we know Floyd likes to take the easy route and he never wants to fight anyone dangerous. I think fighting Victor Ortiz, I mean Victor in his last fight against Berto had a good performance. He was knocked down a few times and got back up, but the one before that against Peterson was kind of a bad performance. I think he sees flaws in that fight and he knows he can beat him. That’s the reason Floyd’s taking that fight. Floyd handpicks his fights a lot. He’s been doing that all of his career, and he’s done well with it as well. That’s just him. Someone like myself next year who will be dangerous, I think Floyd Mayweather will avoid me like he’s avoiding Manny Pacquiao and other fighters out there. I mean he never takes on dangerous fighters like myself, by taking on a Maidana and Bradley. He likes to go in and take the easy route and fight the easy names that he knows he can beat. At the end of the day you have to remember Victor Ortiz fought on my under cards twice. Maidana is the guy who beat him, and then he goes Victor Ortiz is the biggest challenge out there for him, which in my eyes there are bigger names out there who I know can take Mayweather and give him a tougher fight than Victor. At the end of the day Victor’s a great guy and a great champion, and he’s got a lot of respect from me. I’m good friends with him, but I think Mayweather is just taking an easy route.
CIANI: On another note, I’m curious to get your thoughts on another upcoming fight and that’s the Super Six Finals between Carl Froch and Andre Ward. What are your initial thoughts on that matchup coming up in October?
KHAN: Well you know I know Carl. We live in the same country. We’re from England both of us, so I’m always backing the British fighters. Me and Carl are friends and I would think it would be a tough fight against Ward. Ward is very skillful. I remember Ward in the 2004 Olympic when he won the Gold Medal and he was a great fighter there. I think it will be a very technical fight. Ward will be hitting and moving and be hard to get hit, but with Carl Froch I think he has the power to hurt him. It will be a 50-50 fight. I think it’s a great final. It’s a very good final that’s happening, and I’ll be one to be tuned in for that fight because I know both fighters. I know Carl a little bit better than I know Ward, but it will be a good fight and I think that’s what boxing needs. Boxing needs fights like this. You know you got Carl Froch and Ward who are both at the top of the division and you got people fighting each other! On the other hand you’ve got Bradley and myself. Bradley was knocked off the first position to be put at number two because he didn’t want to fight me. He was avoiding me. He’s scared. I mean this is not good for boxing. The best should fight the best to prove how good you are. I mean that’s why you box. That’s why you’re out there in the sport of boxing—to prove how good you are. I mean there are some big fights coming on in the future and I’ll be watching them.
CIANI: You mentioned how you tend to back your fellow British fighters and how the sport needs these big fights. One of the big fights involving a British fighter was Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye in a heavyweight unification bout, and I’m wondering if you were at all disappointed as many British fans were by the effort put forth by David Haye.
KHAN: I think we were all disappointed that he lost. At the end of the day when you’re fighting such a big opponent and someone who’s very awkward, you don’t want to get too close to him or too involved because he’s got the power to put away anyone. I mean your game plan kind of goes out the window, and I think that’s what happened with David. I think David’s game plan went out the window and he kind of went in there and he couldn’t get his game plan going so he decided to do what he thought might work for him. But it didn’t work against Klitschko. Klitschko went in the fight with smart moves and a smart game plan knowing that he was just going to stay away from David’s big bombs and just hit him with a long jab. I think the jab is the punch that won him the fight. He had great tactics and was very smart in that fight and won the fight. I mean we were all disappointed he lost the fight, but he can still keep his chin up high. I mean he was a natural cruiserweight moving up to heavyweight and winning a world title and then taking on one of the most dangerous fighters in the world, one of the Klitschko brothers. I think it just shows David has a lot of heart and he’s done great in the sport of boxing.
JENNA: Alright well Amir, we just have a few more questions before we let you off the line. You mentioned how some of the big names at 140 really don’t want to face you, but do you see yourself wanting to stay in this weight class until you do get those opportunities so you can be the champion of this weight class before you leave it.
KHAN: I mean I’m praying. You know I’m praying. These people just do not want to fight me. Bradley just does not want to fight me and he’s the only guy left who I want to beat before I move up. He’s not taking the fight. For me, I’m 24 and I want to keep on moving and fighting the best fighters. If he doesn’t want to take a fight, then I want the world of boxing to know he’s just a chicken and scared to take me on. That’s the reason I want to move up to 147 and I’ll clean up in this division. I just have to carry on. At the end of the day I’m not waiting around for him. If he doesn’t fight me in the 140 pound division than he’s lost the chance to take me on, even at 147 I will never give him a big payday fight and we’ll see where he goes from there.
JENNA: Alright now you mentioned 147 pounds a lot. If you do move up to that weight class, do you think you will need time to get accustomed to the weight before you take on a big matchup and also, if it is Floyd Mayweather Junior are you more or less waiting so he gets a little bit older so he’s a little easier to beat?
KHAN: I’m not going to wait! I want to fight Floyd at his best really, so maybe after the next fight for Floyd could be me. So that just shows that I just want to fight Floyd. Maybe in between I might have one or two more fights because Floyd likes to stay out of the game a little bit longer, but I’m ready to fight Floyd even in his next fight. I mean after Victor Ortiz I might have to take him on.
JENNA: Looking forward to 2012, where do you want the fans to recognize you by the end of that year? Do you think you will be considered one of the best pound-for-pound in the world at that point?
KHAN: Definitely! I mean I’m climbing the pound-for-pound rankings slowly and I think I’m in the top ten. So yeah, definitely! I’m just going to keep on winning and keep on winning more fans over as well, especially in America. We’ve built a great fan base in England. Now it’s all about going to America and building that fan base over there. With the three performances that I’ve had in America, which was against Paulie Malignaggi, Maidana, and Zab Judah—they’ve been great performances, and luckily we’ve had HBO who has been broadcasting these big shows. So hopefully within the next twelve months I could see myself being a big star in America and a big name over there. I mean I’ve got a style that people love to watch. I’m explosive with strong power and speed. I’m just trying. I’m still young. I’m 24 and I just want to be the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound. So slowly I’m fighting the best out there and before you know it I’ll be at that position.
JENNA: Okay well Amir, it’s a pleasure having you return to On the Ropes. We thank you for your time and we’re definitely looking forward to seeing who you take on in December.
KHAN: Thank you very much, much appreciated. It was great speaking to you all again. Thank you.
CIANI: Thanks Amir! Best of luck.
KHAN: Thank you very much.
haha, I'm not even sure Chavez jr gets by his upcoming opponent Hearns.
Oscar tweeted something on saturday night, then deleted it, but said something like "How about a trilogy guys? I think that would be awesome" and most people assumed he meant a third fight with Shane Mosley. Maybe he was high as fuck though who knows.
Oscar tweeted something on saturday night, then deleted it, but said something like "How about a trilogy guys? I think that would be awesome" and most people assumed he meant a third fight with Shane Mosley. Maybe he was high as fuck though who knows.
Schaefer meeting with Warren to make Broner-Burns fight
By Scott Gilfoid: Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer is in London to meet with promoter Frank Warren to try and set up a fight between World Boxing Organization (WBO) super middleweight champion Ricky Burns (32-2, 9 KO’s) and his No.1 challenger Adrien Broner (21-0, 17 KO’s) for a fight that will – if it’s made – take place in Autumn. It’s what you would call a huge step up fight for the 28-year-old Burns, because he’s been in easy fights since capturing the WBO strap last year against Roman Martinez.
On paper, this is a huge mismatch because the 22-year-old Broner is simply too talented for Burns to compete with. However, Burns has a lot of heart and he could make it a more competitive fight if he’s able to make it out of the 1st round. That’s a big question mark because we just saw Broner destroy one of the best fighters in the super featherweight division in a 1st round knockout last June when Broner dismantled Jason Litzau in the 1st round.
I would favor Litzau over Burns if they were to fight. That’s how good Broner is. He’s like the super featherweight division’s version of Floyd Mayweather Jr. This guy is an amazing talent and someone that is going to be dominating at this weight and other weight classes years to come. Unless Broner gets too carried away with his fame and fortune, I can see him moving up weight class after weight class and winning titles as he goes. He’s that good. Broner defeated Daniel Ponce De Leon in March of this year, using speed and movement to reduce the hard hitting Ponce De Leon to a punching bag in the process of beating him.
Burns hasn’t really fought anyone other than the weight drained Roman Martinez. That was really the only true test that Burns has had during his 10 year pro career, and he barely won that fight against the weight drained Martinez.
By Scott Gilfoid: Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer is in London to meet with promoter Frank Warren to try and set up a fight between World Boxing Organization (WBO) super middleweight champion Ricky Burns (32-2, 9 KO’s) and his No.1 challenger Adrien Broner (21-0, 17 KO’s) for a fight that will – if it’s made – take place in Autumn. It’s what you would call a huge step up fight for the 28-year-old Burns, because he’s been in easy fights since capturing the WBO strap last year against Roman Martinez.
On paper, this is a huge mismatch because the 22-year-old Broner is simply too talented for Burns to compete with. However, Burns has a lot of heart and he could make it a more competitive fight if he’s able to make it out of the 1st round. That’s a big question mark because we just saw Broner destroy one of the best fighters in the super featherweight division in a 1st round knockout last June when Broner dismantled Jason Litzau in the 1st round.
I would favor Litzau over Burns if they were to fight. That’s how good Broner is. He’s like the super featherweight division’s version of Floyd Mayweather Jr. This guy is an amazing talent and someone that is going to be dominating at this weight and other weight classes years to come. Unless Broner gets too carried away with his fame and fortune, I can see him moving up weight class after weight class and winning titles as he goes. He’s that good. Broner defeated Daniel Ponce De Leon in March of this year, using speed and movement to reduce the hard hitting Ponce De Leon to a punching bag in the process of beating him.
Burns hasn’t really fought anyone other than the weight drained Roman Martinez. That was really the only true test that Burns has had during his 10 year pro career, and he barely won that fight against the weight drained Martinez.
I will have to disagree with you on that one. Broner beat up Ponce de Leon pretty easily in there fight. If you think Gamboa is going to run over Broner then you're mistaking yourself. Broner would put hands on Gamboa if the ever fight. Gamboa defense is not all that good and Broner is a very sharp and hard puncher. Gamboa might get KO'ed.
interesting being a lot of people actually thought Ponce won that fight or had it a draw. Either way, he lost the early rounds then pot-shotted one punch at a time for the rest of the fight making it a dreadful performance on his part, while Ponce pressed the action all night.
I think Gamboa's skills are just on another level. Broner just doesn't throw enough punches. He would have to win by KO to beat Gamboa. I don't think Broner has the power to do it though.
I think Gamboa's skills are just on another level. Broner just doesn't throw enough punches. He would have to win by KO to beat Gamboa. I don't think Broner has the power to do it though.
Hillary Clinton invites Amir Khan to White house
White House invite for boxing champion Amir
BOXING world champion Amir Khan is set to meet one of the world’s most powerful women after being invited to the White House.
The invitation from the US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton was sent to the Bolton 24-year-old along with other influential people, whose names have not yet been revealed, to celebrate Eid, a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.
Khan said he was surprised to receive the emailed invitation and delighted to get the chance to step inside one of the world’s most iconic buildings.
He said: “I am looking forward to it because she is such a powerful woman. It will be nice to meet her.
“I have never been to Washington either so it will be the first time for me. I will be meeting her in the Benjamin Franklin Room.”
He added: “I go on September 7 for one or two days.
She invited me to go there to meet her for Eid. She has picked a few other people who are inspirational. I think I will find out in the next few days who the other guests are.
“At the end of the day I love doing things like this.”
Amir was today heading off on a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where he will stay for two weeks.
He said: “I am going to do my pilgrimage with my family. It will be a good thing and I will do my prayers. This will be the third time I have gone.”
He also spoke of his concern at the riots in Salford and Manchester.
He said: “I was in Bolton and I saw what happened and it was a big shock. People need to channel their energies into something positive that gives them determination and goals. I have a gym and my doors are always open for people to do training.
“It is bad what has happened and hopefully the kids will realise what they have done is wrong.
“I didn’t think it would happen in Bolton. We have a good community over here.
Bolton is such a nice place.”
White House invite for boxing champion Amir
BOXING world champion Amir Khan is set to meet one of the world’s most powerful women after being invited to the White House.
The invitation from the US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton was sent to the Bolton 24-year-old along with other influential people, whose names have not yet been revealed, to celebrate Eid, a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.
Khan said he was surprised to receive the emailed invitation and delighted to get the chance to step inside one of the world’s most iconic buildings.
He said: “I am looking forward to it because she is such a powerful woman. It will be nice to meet her.
“I have never been to Washington either so it will be the first time for me. I will be meeting her in the Benjamin Franklin Room.”
He added: “I go on September 7 for one or two days.
She invited me to go there to meet her for Eid. She has picked a few other people who are inspirational. I think I will find out in the next few days who the other guests are.
“At the end of the day I love doing things like this.”
Amir was today heading off on a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where he will stay for two weeks.
He said: “I am going to do my pilgrimage with my family. It will be a good thing and I will do my prayers. This will be the third time I have gone.”
He also spoke of his concern at the riots in Salford and Manchester.
He said: “I was in Bolton and I saw what happened and it was a big shock. People need to channel their energies into something positive that gives them determination and goals. I have a gym and my doors are always open for people to do training.
“It is bad what has happened and hopefully the kids will realise what they have done is wrong.
“I didn’t think it would happen in Bolton. We have a good community over here.
Bolton is such a nice place.”
