After this weekends Khan-Petersen fight were it was even more apparent than ever that Amir doesnt have an inside game, be it Roaches style or his lack of confidence to sit in the pocket and trade shots rather than running, how many other top flight fighters can lay claim to a world class inside game ala James Toney? Or is clinching now seen as a form of defence by todays fighters?
Yes it is, partly down to referee's being over fussy or just breaking it up. It's brilliant to watch fighters trade shots on the inside. If we had it Khan's way sport would lose a fantastic part of sport. It would lessen the excitement..
i reckon it is Khans fear of prescott repeat that has lead to his inability to want to fight inside....nigel benn was a great inside fighter.
i would rather two inside fighters than two runners can you imagine weight class way off but seriously dirrell v khan style wise no fight would happen
i was actually gonna make this thread a few weeks back but forgot. have amateur/pro coaches stopped teaching inside fighting or what?
Yeah I love to see fighters willing to mix it up inside like Corrales Castillo 1 and Gatti-Ward. Too many so called top fighters use clinching and running as a form of defence. How many times did we see Khan looking lost when Petersen let shots go up close? Think on top of numerous pushing away offences he clinched 40 odd times as well. This isnt just having a pop at Khan its most fighters overall
Look at Dirrell vs Froch, Persistent holding that cost him the fight cos he wasn't willing to work there. Ward's extremely good on inside which worries me with Froch who's a bit to loose inside. Need to be compact, fast and smart.
I've heard some crazy arguements regarding Khan's point deductions like "If he cant push or clinch what was he supposed to do"atsch Nothing better than when a fight flows with both men exchanging up close, the ref is a spectator and the fans get good action. The rules regarding excessive clinching are supposed to be there to seperate boxing from other combat sports making boxing in range a skill.
People have become accustomed to ref's separating fighters. It's pissed me off for a while and i'm shocked some knowledgeable and older lads have sided with Khan on this. Khan wants to fight Mayweather, Mayweathers forearms ain't exactly legal Amir and the beating he'd give you wouldn't be either.
Khan didn't fight on the inside there, he was caught with looping shots from just inside mid-range. He can't fight inside, not won't. Nor could Ricardo Lopez, but his mid-range game takes a massive steaming dump on Khans so he was fine.
point taken flea,,does this limit Khan for his career,,(handpicked oponents only?) or can he progress anymore?:huh
For me Khan relies too much on punching in quick flurries, his jab isn't stopping people willing to get inside to get inside. Petersen showed if Khan is closed down and you have him at close quarters he doesn't know what to do. He gave away rounds because Petersen was able to stay on his chest and let shots go without fear of anything hurtful coming back. Judah didnt have the legs to put him under pressure and Maidana was too crude.