A-Mere Kon or Amir Kan?

iamasadlittleboy · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 4728

Ok I'm a hypocrite, I've said repeatedly things shouldn't be written about people in a biographical sense until their career is over or at least worth writing about. This stems mainly down to people like Amir Khan, Wayne Rooney, Lewis Hamilton and Monty Panesar, young sporting men who have accomplished nothing of what they wil do by the time they "write" (or get a ghost written) biography or get a TV show (in Amir's case). The most annoying point of such TV shows and books was relevant in some quotes taken from Khans TV show such as "Heres my handbrake" pointing to said device in his car as though it was something original.

Now beforeyou think I'm being harsh on young Khan I'm not yet willing to call him A-Mere Kon despite him quickly going that way in my estimation of him, not quite anyway. I accept he's got talent (I'm not willing to accept that everyone with a medal in the Olympics has "talent" as such, though), but then again if we look at British olympic boxing medalist, the previous one was of course "A-Force" Audley Harrison, hence force "A-Farce", "Fraudley" and of course "Audrey". We all know whats quickly become of our A-Farce don't we*, he's become a laughing stock and a joke in the boxing world.

So Khan's career, which is seemingly following a similar pattern to Mr Farce's own career, which has led to fights against people he shouldn't be fighting. It was once said that Joe Louis, the great heavyweight world champion had a "Bum of the month", well Khan takes this a step further and fights "smaller than me, bum of the month, and I'll get ITV to hype them up".

Am I being harsh? More than likely cynical would be accurate, as a Frank Warren fighter, we all know that Khan won't lace them up with a credible opponnt for a while yet. And now your asking yourself "What about that Kistjansten fellow, he was top 10 wasn't he?" Yes he was ranked top 10 by 1 organisation or another, but in the realms of boxing this really doesn't say anything at all. He was ranked #4 by the WBO if I remember correctly, but let me give you a little, er...well embarassing moment in WBO history:
The WBO twice moved Darrin Morris up in its super-middleweight rankings in 2001, despite the fact that he was dead. Morris was #7 at the time of his death and #5 when the WBO discovered the error.
Does this alone not show that if I could make 135lb's I could well be ranked by them? Boxing rankings should never be taken at a normal level, the way the ITV types want us to read into them. Martin Kristjansen should be nowhere near the top 10**, sure Kristjansen had never been stopped or beaten in 3 years but that doesn't make someone a good fighter. Kristjansen, like most, if not all of Khans opponents are known as being "feather fisted" (Kristjansen himself having a mere 5 KO's in 24 fights and not a single one in over 2 years) which makes it seem as though the Khan management tea know he's got dodgy whiskers.

Before you say I'm being harsh lets take a look through his opponents of builders, former champions and contenders so far past their best before date that shops other than Sports Network, wouldn't be allowed to sell them to a buying public. For example his first 4 opponents had a combined record of: 40-79-7 with a mere (no pun intended) 15 Knockout wins between them (David Bailey, Baz Carey, Steve Gethrin and Danny Thorpe). I'm not going to list ever opponent he's faced as I don't feel the need to list tomato cans by name, so we'll just go to the more meaningful fights.
The first key fight was against Willie Limond (AKA Wee Willie) the Scotsman took a 28-1-0 (8) record to the ring with him, and by all accounts should have taken a 29-1-0 (9) as opposed to 28-2-0 (8) he was left with. No I can see you all saying I'm being absurd, and that Limond was in no fit stae to continue (although later evidence would suggest he had no broken bones and mere bruises), though for those among us who know boxing properly, and those with keen eyes you'll have noticed the referee made several key mistakes. After Khan went down (for the first, and currently only time in his career) Marcus McDonnell had counted to a specific number by the time Khan originally rose to his feet, Khan then went back down and took a knee. The rules would ditate that eiter the count should have continued (to stop people yo-yoing to catch their breathe) or infact been TKO'd (such as the famous Zab Judah chicken dance against Kostya Tsyzu) for going down twice off a single shot. Sure after this Khan went on to beat the Scottishman senseless but the fact remains, he should have (by the lette of the law) been stopped, this fight may well be to blame for the fighters that have come afterwards.

Next was Scott Lawton who's British level at best and shouldn't be fighting people like Khan with the hype he was getting, his 20-3-1 took with it only 4 KO wins and lasted a mere 4 rounds, what must also be noted is that 7 months previous it took John Thaxton 7 to stop Lawton.

Graham Earl followed in what was supposed to be a stubborn test, Earl a former "World champion" (WBU lightweight title)*** had 2 years previously "beaten" a guy I'm going to talk more about later (Yuri Romanov, in what must be called a debateable decision), but had, much more recently been destroyed by heavy handed Australian brawler Michael Katsidis in 5 rounds after being put on deck 3 times in around a min (twice at the end of a round, once at the start of the next). Everbody knew Earl had been beaten from pillar to post, from Wembley to Melbourne and back by Katsidis, so to many it wasn't a suprise when Khan did the shell of Earl in the first.

A fight against teak tough Gairy St Clair followed and last 12 rounds, St Clair looking like he was there to give Khans stamina a run rather more than anything else. St Clair wasput foreward as a guy who could take a punch (having never been stopped) a 39-5-2 record with 17 wins by way of KO looked relatively nice on paper, with many of his losses coming against the top fights such as Diego Corrales and Vivian Harris. St Clair was also a genuine formerworld champion (as opposed to a WBU holder) having held onto the IBO and IBF super feather weight (130) straps taking both from Cassius Baloyi (who beat him in a rematch less than 4 months later). St Clair had lost 1 title(via polotics) and 1 in the ring to Malcolm Klassen on his first defense (Klassen then lost in his first defense to Mzonke Fana), before stepping up a weight to face Khan in a 1 sided assualt (as opposed to a fight) with St Clair spending most of the time covering up and trying to land counter right hands onto Khan with little real success.

And of course his latest fight against Kristjansen, a guy Khan could more or less have walked through due to Martin punching like a wet weekend and was out ped by khans handspeed in what was pretty much a no contest. This fight took place the night after two possible Khan opponents had fought for the EBU (European) lightweight title in Bethnal Green, Yuri Romanov and John Thaxton, which ended up a pretty one sided affair as the classy Belarussian took the plodding Thaxton to peices and bust him up with accurate hard punches. Of course, not to be cynical or anything, but Romanov's win has probably taken him further away from the Khan fight as he really dismantled Thaxton and took his own record to 21-2 with 14KO's (too many for a Khan opponent I admit), the two losses being the dodgy close one to Earl I mentioned and a close points loss in his 4th pro fight.

Of course Romanov isn't the only fight I'd love to see Khan in, but as he doesn't deserve a title shot I won't list the champions I'd love to see take his head off, instead I'll just name a few fighters I'd love to see him mix it in with at 135 (though how long he'll be there fore is debeateable it's self):
Former Champion Juan Diaz who recently lost his last fight and titles to Nate Campbell in a relative upset
Michael Katsidis, who also recently lost a title fight, but did the damage to Earl that helped Khan end his career at the top level
Jose Miguel Cotto brother of welterweight champion Miguel Angel Cotto
John Murray born just up the road from Khan in Manchester and is also unbeaten, a real best of the brits at 135 type fight between 2 unbeaten fighters

Summary:
A kurrently a kon facing khinny fighters with no punch, come on Amir get Frank to get you in there with some of the above fighters.

*Ok for those of us who don't follow the sport, Audrey was paid 1,000,000 GBP for a 10 fight contract with the BBC, this was basically the highlight of his career. He went to America after the contract and lost in a dismal showing against journeyman Dominic Guinn aftersome how being given a WBF heavyweight world title (showing the WBF up to be a joke). Since then he's lost to anny Williams and been knocked out by Michael Sprott. However he does have a fight on the Joe Calzaghe-Bernard Hopkins under-card against an opponent to be announced.

**Top 10 Lightweight boxers according to Ring Magazine:
JOEL CASAMAYOR 36-3-1 (22)
NATE CAMPBELL 32-5-1 (25)
DAVID DIAZ 33-1-1 (17)
JUAN DIAZ 33-1 (17)
JOSE SANTA CRUZ 25-3 (14)
JULIO DIAZ 34-4 (25)
MICHAEL KATSIDIS 23-1 (20)
AMIR KHAN 17-0 (13)
YURI ROMANOV 21-2 (14)
ZAHIR RAHEEM 29-2 (17)
ANTHONY PETERSON 26-0 (19)

I don't agree, but Ring magazine are usually pretty fair with their rankings.

***WBU are seen as a second class citizen of boxing organisations behind the "big 4" of WBC, WBA, IBO and WBO. Often regarded as a stepping stone title a fighter may collect early on as a trinket before going onto bigger and better things.

Summary: Get in there and prove me wrong laddy

Again not written aimed at the boxing afficianodoes who know much of this as it is so sorry if it seems like im talking down to you.

Gareth · Joined: 27 Jan 2007 Posts: 2778 Location: Belfast

Nice article, very well written. Keep up the writting as I enjoy the reading. :wink:

Seer · Joined: 25 Oct 2005 Posts: 11681 Location: Alba

Good article! 8)

Some good opinions put forward, no problem with that. :wink:

Lord Harris · Posted: May 31 2008, 11:12 AM Post subject:

A most enjoyable read!

kerrminator · Joined: 20 Oct 2005 Posts: 5552 Location: Scotland

good read and pretty much spot on imo.

Khan is another Warren puppet and if he decides to stay with Frank after the contract runs out then we will know for sure his intentions are cash rather than glory.

RankBajin · Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Posts: 24

A well written piece and I agree with all you've said. Like the previous comment noted, Khan's got a pretty big decision coming up. Have a feeling that he'll stay with Warren although I hope I'm wrong.

phart · Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 702

RankBajin wrote: A well written piece and I agree with all you've said. Like the previous comment noted, Khan's got a pretty big decision coming up. Have a feeling that he'll stay with Warren although I hope I'm wrong.

Are you following me about sir, that's three sites we both frequent all quite diverse, if you are not the same rankbajin at WOT and TAMB then i apologise.

TML1988UK · Joined: 15 Aug 2008 Posts: 1133 Location: Cumbria

good article, well written and you backed up your opinion, i liked it