What is the public perception of Amir Khan in the UK?

Discussion in 'British Boxing Forum' started by DynamicHispanic, Dec 9, 2010.


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  1. DynamicHispanic

    DynamicHispanic Member Full Member

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    Nov 16, 2010
    Hey guys,

    I'm an American observer of the sport and am curious what the level of support Amir Khan is receiving over there now that he has made his trek to the States and works at Wildcard with Freddie Roach. Is he in danger of becoming the pariah that Lennox Lewis did when he ditched the UK for Canada early on and fought mostly in the States during his reign?

    John Evans at Undisputed Fight Magazine takes a look from that point of view and I am curious if you guys agree with him. What's the split?

    Is there more than gold on the line Saturday for Amir Khan?
    by John Evans

    Amir Khan faces more than the light welterweight division’s most devastating puncher this Saturday night. He faces a battle to win over his critics.

    Despite rebounding from a devasting first round knockout defeat to the big punching but limited Breidis Prescott by claiming the WBA world title and following that with a string of career best performances, the doubts persist over Khans ability to take a punch. Whilst some fighters choose to look for excuses after their first defeat, Khan realised that changes needed to be made and reinvented himself. Breaking away from allegedly and the comforts of the UK, Khan put his career in the hands of Golden Boy Promotions, stepped up to 140lbs and moved his training operations to the worlds toughest proving ground, the famed Wildcard Gym in Hollywood.

    Just over 2 years later, Khan has upped his game to such an extent that the worlds most respected trainer Freddie Roach has decided to delay his retirement in order to continue working with him. Training alongside Manny Pacquiao looks to have inspired Khan and he seems to have benefitted greatly from working with Pacquiao’sstrength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza. Whilst many commend Khan and admire the improvements he has made there still remains that lingering doubt.

    What will happen when he gets hit? These doubts don’t just stem from the Prescott fight. Although he came through his early career apprenticeship unbeaten, Khan found himself on the floor on numerous occasions. Whilst his wins over Michael Gomez and Willie Limond were good domestic victories, the way Khan was tagged and rocked raised immediate concerns. As often happens with an unbeaten prospect, the flaws are brushed under the carpet as long as the wins keep coming. The demolition at the hands of the at the time unknown Prescott meant these flaws could no longer be ignored and has fuelled his critics ever since.

    Click here to read the rest...
     
    DynamicHispanic, Dec 9, 2010
    DynamicHispanic, Dec 9, 2010
    #1
  2. Uncle Rico

    Uncle Rico Loyal Member Full Member

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    Originally, Khan’s fights were televised for free on normal terrestrial TV, where he garnered a huge amount of support from public – especially for a boy who had only just begun his professional career.

    But then came his premature switch-over to PPV television, where not only did he make himself unavailable to a large proportion of the casual fans, he also lost a good amount of respect from boxing followers – who felt he didn’t quite deserve a PPV status just yet. And lo and behold, his PPV career couldn’t have got off to a more disastrous start. Blown away in less than a minute by a nobody and no longer possessing an unblemished record, Khan’s marketability took a big dent.

    But since then, he’s done an awesome job of building himself back up, and is coming close to recapturing his lost fans. He’s still a household name, Britain’s number one boxing star alongside David Haye, and he’ll stay like this if he keeps winning. And no, I've not really sensed any disappointment from people over his decision to set camp in the US. Everyone recognizes it for the career move that it is. In fact, it's been admired by a lot of people. It's given off the impression that he's willing to make drastic changes to better himself.
     
    Uncle Rico, Dec 10, 2010
    Uncle Rico, Dec 10, 2010
    #2
  3. izmat

    izmat Boxing Addict Full Member

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    He is a household name but I doubt Khan will have a Hatton-type following for obvious reasons
     
    izmat, Dec 10, 2010
    izmat, Dec 10, 2010
    #3
  4. Uncle Rico

    Uncle Rico Loyal Member Full Member

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    Yeah. Asian people are tight ****ers. Ain't no way they're paying and travelling over to the US for just 36 minutes worth of viewing. :bart
     
    Uncle Rico, Dec 10, 2010
    Uncle Rico, Dec 10, 2010
    #4
  5. lozkina

    lozkina Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Sep 23, 2010
    he is a guy who would become american at the drop of a hat, i think anyway
     
    lozkina, Dec 10, 2010
    lozkina, Dec 10, 2010
    #5
  6. boxing4eva

    boxing4eva Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Dec 3, 2009
    That's nothing so much to do with racism really. It's more to do with the fact like what they relate to. Hatton managed it because he drank booze, liked football and was "one of the lads", so he drew in the casual boxing footbal fans. A Eton public school boy who's friends played Polo on a weekend, who got into boxing would have as much chance as Khan as creating a following like Hatton
     
    boxing4eva, Dec 10, 2010
    boxing4eva, Dec 10, 2010
    #6
  7. lozkina

    lozkina Well-Known Member Full Member

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    And again it has to be said its not a racist thing.
     
    lozkina, Dec 10, 2010
    lozkina, Dec 10, 2010
    #7
  8. izmat

    izmat Boxing Addict Full Member

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    I never mentioned race. More ppl relate to Hatton because he is "one of the lads" which i would say is an obvious reason!
     
    izmat, Dec 10, 2010
    izmat, Dec 10, 2010
    #8
  9. duranimal

    duranimal Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    He's known & liked by the mainstream public but i doubt he'll get the following that hatton had which as an earlier poster pointed out had attached himself to a major blue-collar football club so pulled in all the casuals from across the land.
     
    duranimal, Dec 10, 2010
    duranimal, Dec 10, 2010
    #9
  10. Ilesey

    Ilesey ~ Full Member

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    I used to like him, then hate him, now like him again.
     
    Ilesey, Dec 10, 2010
    Ilesey, Dec 10, 2010
    #10
  11. miguel2010

    miguel2010 His hands are his weapons Full Member

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    i like to watch his fights cos he can get layed out by the likes of willie limmond so he is good value....

    i dont like or dislike khan, im an inbetweener....

    i just think he's over rated.
     
    miguel2010, Dec 10, 2010
    miguel2010, Dec 10, 2010
    #11
  12. Scotty321

    Scotty321 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Dec 21, 2008
    Mr impartial who climaxes over khan getting knocked out at the weekend. . . .
     
    Scotty321, Dec 10, 2010
    Scotty321, Dec 10, 2010
    #12
  13. miguel2010

    miguel2010 His hands are his weapons Full Member

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    wouldnt go as far as climax mate, yeah i would like to see him get lamped, im still impartial though.
     
    miguel2010, Dec 10, 2010
    miguel2010, Dec 10, 2010
    #13
  14. Uncle Rico

    Uncle Rico Loyal Member Full Member

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    :lol: Yeah ****ing right.
     
    Uncle Rico, Dec 10, 2010
    Uncle Rico, Dec 10, 2010
    #14
  15. miguel2010

    miguel2010 His hands are his weapons Full Member

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    Sep 13, 2010
    are you a mind reader now?
     
    miguel2010, Dec 10, 2010
    miguel2010, Dec 10, 2010
    #15
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