Well, how do you like Khan now?
Not only did Khan stand in with Maidana in a ferocious and exciting battle, he survived some brutal shots and a near-knockout in the 10th round to retain his 140-pound title on a unanimous decision Saturday night before a small, but boisterous crowd of 4,632 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
The kid from England earned his stripes for sure.
"You can tell by his record he's a strong puncher and I took everything he gave me," Khan said proudly.
There have been plenty of questions about Khan's chin. The 2004 Olympic silver medalist at age 17 had been knocked down a few times early in his professional career and then was pounded out in 54 seconds in a stunning upset by Breidis Prescott in 2008.
But Khan made changes in his training habits and hired trainer Freddie Roach. He matured. He focused more.
Now, after surviving hell with Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs), he showed he is a true professional and a helluva fighter in winning his sixth bout in a row since the devastating loss.
He was also proud of how his chin held up despite taking some massive shots in defending his belt for the third time.
"I'm sure everyone watching my fights knows I've made mistakes," Khan said in clear reference to the Prescott fight. "But I've worked hard and came back stronger than ever. I'm a different fighter working with Freddie Roach and [strength and conditioning coach] Alex Ariza. I took his best shots and I was still there."
While Khan certainly had the edge in speed and overall skill, Maidana never stopped throwing his bombs. He didn't land all that many of them, but when he did, he made 'em count.
Maidana practically sprinted to Khan at the opening bell. His best way to win was going to make it a war. We all knew that. Clearly, Maidana did too. But Khan was ready.
He stymied Maidana's aggression early and dropped him in that opening round, sinking a left hook to the liver near the end of the round and then unloading a few more shots just before the bell for good measure.
He landed 31 punches to Maidana's five in the opening round. It was 32-5 in the second round.
Khan was in control on the cards as he continued to build his lead. But Maidana's pressure was relentless.
Maidana got a bit overzealous in the fifth round when he threw an elbow at Khan and was docked a point.
But he had made his point and continued to do so -- this was going to be a street fight whether England's Khan liked it or not.
By the sixth, Maidana's shots were beginning to take their toll. He was landing and Khan was retreating with Maidana chasing after him. When Khan -- who turned 24 on Wednesday -- would lay on the ropes, Maidana would attack with punch after punch, even though he couldn't get Khan off his feet.
The extreme pressure from Maidana continued and in the 10th round came Khan's moment of truth. Maidana brutalized him. A right hand badly hurt him and several more shots did even more damage. Khan looked like he was practically out on his feet.
To the shock of most at ringside, Khan managed to stay on his feet despite being in terrible trouble throughout the round.
Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) survived the round and made it through the final two, tough rounds while Maidana let everything he had hang out.
"He's a strong fighter and he hit hard, but my chin was tested," said Khan, who earned $975,000 and will ultimately bank much more based on the revenue generated by the pay-per-view telecast in England. "I'm not taking anything away from him. He's a great champion. But I proved today I've got a chin. I fight with my heart. I'm a boxer. If I go into the ring, I know I'm going to get hit."
In the end, the judges rewarded Khan with a deserved 114-111, 114-111, 113-112 decision. ESPN.com had it a bit wider for Khan, 116-109, but it was a fantastic and competitive fight.
Maidana gave a tremendous effort and thought he deserved the decision.
"I thought I won," said Maidana, who earned a career-high $550,000. "I thought I did enough in the final rounds to win the fight, but they gave it to him."
Khan landed 273 of 603 punches (45 percent), according to CompuBox statistics while Maidana was credited with landing 156 of 767 (20 percent).
Maidana hadn't earned it though. He had given up too many early rounds to the flashy Khan, who advanced to what many view as the semifinals of an unofficial tournament at 140 pounds.
Khan and Maidana, 27, were considered two of the top four fighters in the division heading into the fight. The other two, titleholders Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley Jr., meet to unify belts on Jan. 29 in Pontiac, Mich.
A fight between Khan and the winner of that fight is what many fans -- and HBO, which is bankrolling the unofficial tournament -- want to see.
Khan, however, likely will return to England for his next defense in the spring, but could move on to face the Alexander-Bradley winner later next year.
If he does, Khan certainly gained valuable experience and confidence surviving the hell that Maidana had just put him through.
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @danrafaelespn.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
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