Khan vs Prescott & Maidana... Will Khan bring out a new style?

That's a good question.

You'd presume not, but who knows.

Roach seemed somewhat surprised in quite a few of the post-fight interviews that Khan got through the 10th.

He said that he's learning about Khan and I think he's realised that Khan is more of a fighter than a Boxer. While he has good Boxing skills, Khan has that tendency to get right in with you and fight. If he get's hit, he'll hit you right back with 3. It's a habit that Roach hasn't been able to shake off Khan, and admitted he can't, because it's part of his DNA.

He may well work on his offense a lot more, but I think the work on the defense is more crucial as of now.

I don't really expect a change though.

 

The Maidana fight was a bit of a mixed bag for me. There were things which I liked – heart, durability, speed, combinations and power. But there were those that I didn’t – defence, concentration, footwork, less-than-average jab etc.

But I’m willing to look past those short-comings due the type of opponent and style he was facing. Maidana, being the aggressive power-puncher he is, is the type of fighter who always has and always will give Khan the most trouble and make him look worse than he actually is. And in that fight, Khan was seriously beginning to feel Maidana’s punchers from round 5/6 onwards, which made him cautious, nervous, and less confident to do the things he's normally capable of. Considering how it was only just before the Malignaggi fight (last May) where Khan and his chin had no hope in hell against a monster like Maidana, people are easily forgetting how well he actually did in the end. No one envisaged him surviving a war, let alone come out the winner!

As for what we should now expect of him, I think his defence is what needs sorting. This, along with less naivety and more conserving of energy. When he knows he's in a difficult fight, his nervousness makes him up the tempo a considerable amount, in the hope that his opponent will lay off him a bit. He'll either run too much around the ring, or he'll explode in flurries of his own to ward off attacks. He needs to remain cool.

 

I think this is a critical juncture for Khan.

I think Roach has improved Amir a lot from when he took over, but having progressed, I feel he might be taking steps back technically as he's getting away from what he's been doing, trying to emulate Manny too much.

 

That's another concern. I'm also beginning to doubt Roach's ability to instil defensive qualities in his fighters.

 

Yeah I dont think he's that kind of coach to be honest.

To be fair to Roach though, I question whether any! coach could turn Amir into that kind of fighter, he just doesn't have the instincts of a defensive fighter imo, and he might have to change quite a bit technically in order to be that kind of fighter, which might take away from what he's good at.

When Steward took over Lewis, he seemed to fight a lot more cautiously and tentative, but there came a time when Steward wanted him to be more assertive after re-establishing his confidence, he tried to do this, but he almost paid a price for it against Briggs.

I think its a balancing act, you want to keep improving them, and you would prefer them to be more dominant, as appose to careful, but that can come at a price. I believe that they felt Amir was going to knock Maidana out early, I think that might be one of the reasons he was overshooting some of his punches and not getting his feet into position.

 

Khan is not more of a fighter than a boxer!! If he was he would not have been running in the 10th round and fought back when he was hurt like Marquez does. Khan is a boxer with a decent chin and huge heart.

 

What was Pac like defensively at 24?