As TFFP said, I think all boxers are worthy of a certain amount of respect. Everytime they step in the ring they risk injury, brain damage or death. Khan isn't immune to any of these things. And yeah, he may be prone to acting and talking like a cocky young man from time to time, but I don't think that's any reason not to respect him. I'd really like to see Khan rematch and beat Presscot, exorcise the ghost so to speak.
I ain't a fan of Khan at all but if he beats Kotelnik I will have to hold my hand up and say 'well done'. He is the weakest-chinned boxer I have ever seen - by some margin too, so, if he manages to gain a world title and beat more of the better fighters in his division, it would be hard not to praise the lad.
I think people are being a little harsh on dubstep here, his point is clear and respect is the right word to use. The mistake people are making is in assuming you can only have total respect or no respect, and that's not true. Respect is a complex sliding scale of opinion with many factors and the OP explicitly said he wouldn't have FULL respect, not he wouldn't have ANY respect. It's difficult not to have respect for boxers, regardless of achievement. Take someone like Skelton for instance. Never really achieved much, decent domestic fighter, limited at European level and beyond. I have great respect for him though, and I think most boxing fans do. On the other hand you have someone like Calzaghe, on the face of it achieved a hell of a lot, retired with his magical '0' in tact, but will always be denied a degree of respect by some people because he never really faced a world class fighter at the top of his game. Respected as a boxer and fighter, not so much as a world champion. Where does Khan fit in with this, well you have to respect him as a boxer and entertainer. He's a skilled guy who always tries to put on a show and entertain. You also have to respect his heart - he didn't quit against prescott, he went back for seconds. But, and it's a big but, a la Calzaghe he's treading a very carefully laid out path to his titles (don't forget, Prescott was hand-picked as easy meat!). He's avoided the big domestic and European opposition, he's avoided EVERY top contender at lightweight and now he's moved up to light-welter to take on a champion he claims to be the worst champion in the sport. If he beats Kotelnik I'll respect him as a boxer and entertainer, but not so much as a champion. If he goes on to have a reasonably illustrious career he may eventually earn respect as a champion. But, if he never avenges the loss to Prescott he will always be denied a degree of respect. It's inevitable.