Khan it is a different league now to british 135 fighters, The fight in which he got dropped was the best thing for him. He is now on a roll and will be in the mix for world title by the end of the year.
I would partially agree with that in that it would be a good foundation for Khan to build on but I just can't get passed the fact that i think Khan would blow Thaxton away within four or five rounds, probably by TKO. Maybe you think that he doesn't relly need 'a test' at the moment and more to confirm what most ppl already know, that he is the best lightwieght in the UK. I just think that Thaxton is not really necessary and that he could take on someone like Romanov and just prove that he's a serious talent by being tested slightly more and yet beating him quite confortably. Personally, i would have no qualms about him facing Thaxton for the reasons u have outlined but will not be disappointed if Thaxton is skipped even if most British fans want to see that fight. In the mean time, more importantly, before he takes on ANY opponent, he should go over to the US to train. Maybe i'm showing my bias as an exiled Yank but i think at such a young age, he could develop in a more dynamic way to reach the top. (Btw, not saying that he wouldn't develop into a world class fighter staying here!)
so Khan beats a Bilbo Baggins lookalike and he's suddenly a monster again? give me a break. That was a decent stepdown from Limond. His chin is still weak, his defence poor and he WILL get knocked out when he steps up.
Apparantly not. The Limond affair is all in the past now, the Lawton fight made sure of that. Beating Earl proves beyond doubt that he has improved greatly and the future can only bring further glory. These facts cannot be disputed as they come from Jim Rosenthal and ITV, and they know a winner when they see one. Apart from Audley Harrison. But then there are no similarities between those two fighters, so we can discount that.
I find it hard to get my head around morons like Claypole still hating on Khan. Compare his last 3 fights against guys like Hatton and Calzaghe at the same stage of their careers, who the **** did they fight? The guy is making the step up, it is obvious he is putting pressure on Warren to give him serious opponents. That I respect a lot.
I am entitled to my opinions, and so are you. There is no need for insults, especialy from the safety of your computer. Have a pop at the post, not the poster.
Firstly Claypole is not a moron. He is a regular poster and contributes alot to the brit forum in my opinion - has a good sense of humour too! Interesting point about comparing Khan's last 3 fights - all 3 of his opponents had been inactive for between 7 - 10 months, two were coming off the back of losses and one usually campaigned at super featherweight. Compared to Hatton and Calzaghe at the same stage of their careers - Think Hatton had won two titles by his 15th pro fight and faced an unbeaten opponent (something Khan has yet to achieve) to clinch his first title in his 11th pro fight. Think Calzaghe won the british title in his 14th pro fight against a guy with only one early loss on his record. Khan has done very well at who has been put in front of him so far.
Hatton's 15th opponent was Bernard Paul, who already had 8 losses to his record prior to that fight. The belts he won by that stage, he may as well have bought those belts at John Lewis. In any case my argument is, that Khan is being moved as fast as anyone has done in Britain in recent years, the critisism he gets for the quality of his opponents has no basis behind it and is totally irrational. I remember you defending Murray's choice of opponent for his last fight, even though he is older and had more fights and he still struggled to beat a mediocre journeyman.
Yuri Romanov - won 20 (KO 13) + lost 2 (KO 0) + drawn 0 = 22 Euro Champ Ranked 5th in the World by Boxrec, 9th by the Ring and top 12 with all 3 belts, he would be a huge scalp for Khan. Not known to be a knockout king and he lost to Earl but has improved since. John Thaxton - won 33 (KO 1 + lost 7 (KO 4) + drawn 0 = 40 Brit Champ Ranked 12th in thr world by Boxrec, but not ranked by any of the 4 belts. Struggled in his last night and has lost to any decent opposition he has faced. Not a huge puncher, he holds the British title and Khan will want that before he moves on to world. John Murray - won 23 (KO 12) + lost 0 (KO 0) + drawn 0 = 23 Has looked impressive in the UK and in the states, ratley very higly by all around him but in almost double the fights Khan has had, has not faced anyone of any paticualr note, Earl and Limmond being better than anyone he has faced by a long way. Will likley face Thaxton for the British title and the right to face Khan. Lee McAlister - won 25 (KO 5) + lost 1 (KO 0) + drawn 0 = 26 WBU Champion Although the WBU is a minor title that carries no weight, Warren uses it alot and many of its champs have gone on to Main titles, Hatton being an example. McAlister has never really fought anyone of note but has only lost once. Only 5 KOs he would liley be completly out classed by Khan, but could still be an option is Romanov, Thaxton and Earl are tied up. Edner Cherry - won 23 (KO 11) + lost 5 (KO 0) + drawn 2 = 30 Ranked by the WBA and WBC. Would be potentially dangerous at this stage and more likley to be used as a stepping stone to world class. Reguarly fights on HBO and Showtime and would get the attention of the US Bank Rollers. I think he should fight 3 of the first 4 guys mentioned (winner of Thaxton VS Murray) and then head to the states to fight Cherry. I can see it being McAlister next, which alot of people will be pissed about but remember Khan is 21, and none of those guys listed have beatan opposition better than Graham Earl, and they certainly could not do it in 1 round.
Its such a shame to belittle the achievements of other british fighters in an attempt to make a point about Khan. Everyone is entitled to their opinion - not everyone will agree but its simply not accurate to say it has no basis behind it and is totally irrational when posters have clearly outlined their reasons for criticising the quality of some of Khan's opponents. With regards to Murray - from what I gather it was a disappointing performance in the states but perhaps this was partly the consequence of fighting two live opponents in the space of a month. Despite his record I think the description 'mediocre journeyman' is a bit harsh - some of these mexicans are genuinely tough awkward opponents. I note the point about Murray being a bit older than Khan and having had more fights. I would have liked to have seen him make more progress but he has had injury setbacks and not all boxers develop at the same rate or are fortunate to have the same opportunities put their way.
Look, I do not want to belittle any other boxers, but critisism that Khan gets is ridiculous, especially when compared to practically every other British boxer around today.
http://www.frankwarren.tv/drill/News/Articles/2007/12/08/khan-back-in-february-2.html Hopefully they do get Romanov.
If Thaxton/Murray is due to be set up soon, I'd say wait for the winner of that one. After that, time to move onto the European stage, maybe a quick warm-up then Romanov. This stuff about trying to break Hamad's record to a world title is just utterly ridiculous, I gladly wait the day when that little milestone passes unbroken and the media can just shut the hell up about it. Moronic to be rushing Khan onwards like that, he needs to carry on as he's doing.
"It's taken Hatton a long time to fight a world class fighter in his prime, but I don't think it's going to be the same with Amir." :-( Warren is such a dick.