By PAT SHEEHAN, The Sun
AMIR KHAN'S US debut turned into an American dream when he retained his WBA world light-welterweight title against Paulie Malignaggi.
Khan outboxed and then outfought brave Malignaggi who was saved from further punishment by referee Steve Smoger 1min and 25sec into the 11th round.
The stoppage, which was overdue, came 37 seconds after Ricky Hatton also stopped Malignaggi in November 2008, and brought the house down at Madison Square Garden.
Khan had the fight under his control and the crowd under his spell from the first bell.
He hardly put a foot wrong and dropped only one round on the way to his latest win inside the distance.
Malignaggi was game from first to last and at the end of the 10th round pleaded with the ringside doctor to give him one more round - even though he was bashed and battered.
Khan unloaded with some big rights straight from the off but showed he could mix it when the New Yorker tried to brawl but ended up with his head in a lock.
Malignaggi put his foot on the gas in the second and came out fast trying to catch Khan by surprise but, for his efforts, he was rocked back by Khan's jab.
The third showed Malignaggi at his slippery best but he was not quick enough to get out of the way of Khan's big rights and dropped another round.
Bolton star Khan was caught by an uppercut during the fourth, his worst round of the night, and showed Malignaggi was capable if not dangerous.
A wicked left from Khan zipped into Malignaggi's body in the fifth and put him down but Smoger ruled Khan pushed him and refused to start the count.
It was all one-way traffic with Malignaggi getting hurt and dazed by Khan's speed and power but he bravely hung on, refusing to buckle until Smoger called it a halt in the 11th.
Source: thesun.co.uk
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