Pacquiao schools Khan in sparring - Roach -- ESPN

ESPN.co.uk

Trainer Freddie Roach has lifted the lid on the notorious sparring sessions between Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao in the Wildcard gym.

Both fighters have improved significantly since coming under Roach's wing, and the duo have made no secret of the intensity of their training bouts.

A clash between the pair would be one of the most lucrative fights possible at present, but Roach is eager to keep his two pupils apart, with Khan instead set to face Floyd Mayweather Jnr in the next year.

The fact Khan is being discussed in the same breath as Mayweather shows the improvement Roach has coaxed out of the Brit, having linked up with him following a humiliating first-round knockout defeat to Breidis Prescott in 2008.

"When they spar it's always good but, while Amir is more than able to hold his own, as it progresses Manny takes control," Roach. "Amir has developed so much since I started working with him. He's a great kid who is always listening and always wanting to learn. Manny is a great fighter but Amir is certainly going in the right direction - that's a fact."

Meanwhile, Khan is not ruling out a rematch against Prescott as he searches for a December opponent for his final battle at light-welterweight. "Prescott may be a fight in the future for me," he said. "A fighter always wants to avenge his defeats. He is another name on the list if he beats [Paul] McCloskey. I will be taking one step at a time - there is no need for me to rush into a fight with Mayweather.

"Erik Morales is a possibility as my next opponent and so is [WBO champion Tim] Bradley. Robert Guerrero is another name on my list. If he beats [Marcos] Maidana next month, as I expect him to, that will be a very good fight."

Source: espn.co.uk

BOXING: Trainer Roach standing in the way of Pacquiao-Khan -- LA Daily News

By Robert Morales, Los Angeles Daily News

Boxing has always had some difficulty getting the best to fight the best. Sometimes rival promoters get in the way. More recently, one fighter refusing special drug testing requested by another prevented a fight from happening.

Freddie Roach came up with something new this week. The Hall of Fame trainer was asked what he thought about the possibility of Amir Khan taking on pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao in the near future.

Keep in mind that Pacquiao said before his most recent fight against "Sugar" Shane Mosley in May that he wanted three more fights before retiring to concentrate on his political career in his native Philippines.

Pacquiao is fighting Juan Manuel Marquez a third time on Nov. 12.

The boxing world is hopeful that Pacquiao would then take on Floyd Mayweather Jr., but since previous negotiations have failed because of differences over drug testing, there is no guarantee that would happen.

The only other fight out there that would seem to carry enormous appeal for Pacquiao would be against fast-rising star Khan, who is coming off a fifth-round knockout of Zab Judah this past Saturday in a junior welterweight title unification bout in Las Vegas.

With Pacquiao's worldwide appeal and Khan having the strong support of the United Kingdom, this would be a huge promotion and more than likely a terrific fight that Khan would actually have a chance of winning.

Alas, Roach says it will never take place. Why? "They are not going to fight each other," Roach said Tuesday morning via telephone. "I'm not going to let that happen because I train both fighters. They are both my fighters and they are like sons to me. How can I let both my sons fight?"

Roach said he wouldn't even know which corner to work.

"It is too much drama to let that happen," he said. "They both have too much respect for me to let that happen. They are like my kids. I've been with Manny for 10 years and I've been with Amir for three years. We have a great relationship. Why would I ruin that relationship?"

Khan is employed by Golden Boy Promotions. Richard Schaefer, its CEO, spoke diplomatically when asked about Roach's edict that would rob fans of a potential super fight.

"I can appreciate how close Freddie is to both and how both of the fighters are close to Freddie," Schaefer said Tuesday afternoon. "It would put Amir in a terrible situation, it would put Pacquiao in a terrible situation.

"So why push that if there are so many other attractive options out there for either one of those fighters?"

Schaefer said that Khan will fight again in December, and that there are plenty of opponents for him. He could fight comebacking Erik Morales, or perhaps the winner of the Aug. 27 fight between Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero and Marcos Maidana.

Khan now holds two belts - WBA and IBF - and he could next fight either Lamont Peterson or Victor Cayo, who Friday night squared off in an IBF title elimination fight in Las Vegas.

Timothy Bradley, who held the other two major belts at junior welterweight until he was stripped of one of them Thursday, is another possibility. Bradley has already turned down Khan once, and he has promotional problems and is currently being sued by co-promoters Gary Shaw and Ken Thompson, who claim they have one more fight with him.

But Khan has been talking a lot of trash about Bradley, saying he's scared to fight him. Bradley has been listening, and he lashed out at Khan during a telephone interview Wednesday.

"Every fighter who is trying to get a fight with me pops off at the mouth," Bradley said. "And then when we get in the ring they get smashed in the face. I'm not afraid of him. If you are a true Bradley fan, you know I'm not afraid of any man.

"He just needs to go enjoy his victory and leave my name out his mouth."

Bradley said as soon as his litigation is over, he will be happy to do something about Khan's mouth.

Khan would vacate the junior welterweight division after the December fight and move up to welterweight early next year, Schaefer said. One possibility there sounds good.

"I think Mayweather and Amir Khan is as interesting (as Khan-Pacquiao), as exciting, or Amir against the winner of Mayweather-(Victor) Ortiz because Ortiz might pull it off (in their fight Sept. 17)," Schaefer said.

Indeed, Khan against either Mayweather, Ortiz or Bradley would be very nice. But Khan against Pacquiao would be way better because there would be more money involved, it would have incredibly wide appeal and it would have the chance to be one of the most exciting fights in years.

We respect Roach a great deal. But him being the trainer for both Pacquiao and Khan is not even close to being a good enough reason for them not to fight. Roach needs to figure this out, for the fans and for the good of the sport.

Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, is vacationing in Europe and could not be reached for comment. But even the powerful Arum might not be able to do anything about this, as it is well-known that Pacquiao and Roach approve Pacquiao's opponents.

Bummer.

Source: dailynews.com

Amir Khan stops Zab Judah in fifth -- Los Angeles Times

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Las Vegas— Zab Judah might have disputed the ending, but there was no decrying the harsh lessons that the younger champion Amir Khan delivered his older Brooklyn opponent Saturday.

Khan picked apart Judah in the fifth round, and landed another stiff right to the face that caused the 33-year-old Judah to bend downward. Seeing another hole, Khan threw a hard right uppercut that struck Judah on the top half of the belt.

Judah sank to the canvas, referee Vic Drakulich told him to get up and began counting toward a knockout — six, seven, eight, nine, 10.

At the 2:47 mark of the fifth, Khan had won.

Judah was able to spring up then, only in argument mode.

"It was a low blow," Judah said afterward. "I was trying to get myself together and that was self-defense. [The punch] lifted my belt."

The complaint was in vain. It was a legal blow.

The 24-year-old British Khan improved to 26-1 with his 18th knockout, and the 33-year-old Judah (41-7) handed over his International Boxing Federation junior-welterweight belt to Khan's collection, which includes a World Boxing Assn. belt.

Khan outpunched Judah 284-115 and landed more than triple the punches (61-20). He bloodied Judah's lip in the second round, continued landing blows to the face in the third and expertly followed several jabs with a hard right to Judah's mug in the fourth.

"I knew he was getting hurt," Khan said afterward. "He kept moving away and ducking. I kept hitting him right in the face, and the shot that knocked him out was right on the belt. … It was only a matter of time."

Perhaps in early 2012, Khan will be able to fight Coachella Valley's Timothy Bradley for all four major titles.

"If Bradley didn't want to fight him before, he doesn't want to fight him now," Khan promoter Richard Schaefer said after the bout, listing the Aug. 27 Robert Guerrero-Marcos Maidana winner or Erik Morales as other possible December foes for Khan.

The unbeaten Bradley, nicknamed "Desert Storm," declined the match earlier this year as he negotiates a split with his promoters and he told The Times in a Saturday night telephone interview that he anticipates a 2012 Khan bout after a tuneup fight in the fall.

"He's not ready for 'The Storm,' I'm not impressed," Bradley said. "I know all the comments that are coming about this Khan performance, but I'm not stressing. … No way possible he can be No. 1 [at 140 pounds]. When we do get in the ring, everyone will see who the best in the world is."

What Khan showed Saturday before the ending was another advanced level under the guidance of Hollywood's famed trainer Freddie Roach, who also counts Manny Pacquiao in his stable.

Khan's precision against Judah showed the Roach effect, and what the Brit ensured Saturday is that the payday with Bradley will be richer than the $1 million-plus he collected in the softer touch versus Judah.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

twitter.com/latimespugmire
Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

Source: latimes.com

Floyd Mayweather Jr: 'I would love to fight Amir Khan at Wembley' -- The Guardian

By Kevin Mitchell, guardian.co.uk

Floyd Mayweather Jr talks like he boxes, slipping questions with the practised ease of someone for whom evasion is as easy as breathing. He is the Natural.

However, dropping his guard, he says he would fight Amir Khan – in London next year – if the WBA light-welterweight champion beats the IBF title-holder, Zab Judah, at the Mandalay Bay on Saturday night.

"I would love to come and fight at Wembley," he says. But he sidesteps all questions about Khan's friend and training partner, Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather does not reach out to boxing; boxing comes to Mayweather – or, at least, that is his perspective.

Jab away at him, however, and a few light bruises appear on an ego more fragile than he would like to admit. In the course of 25 minutes – while one of the hired helps wraps his hands in preparation for pad-work with his uncle, Roger – the finest pure boxer since Sugar Ray Leonard raises his voice just once, and even then briefly.

"How can I not be rated No1 if I haven't been beaten?" he asks, incredulous at the suggestion that he needs to seal his standing in boxing history by fighting Pacquiao, regarded by good judges as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and a champion in eight weight divisions – instead of Victor Ortiz, whom Mayweather meets in Las Vegas when he returns to the ring, on 17 September, after an absence of 16 months.

"I am not worried about the Pacquiao thing at all. I can do whatever I want in this sport. Floyd Mayweather is in the sport to give great performances. And I must be happy myself before I can make anyone else happy.

"The British fans would love to see me fight Amir Khan and I'm pretty sure the Filipino fans would want to see me fight Pacquiao. The American fans would love to see me fight anybody."

This is a narrow reading of the wishes of boxing fans, wherever they are from. The one fight boxing wants and needs is Mayweather-Pacquiao. There is no other contest that appeals more or is as capable of reaching out to an audience beyond the hardcore – and, while Mayweather pretends he is not bothered (because he is the centre of his own universe), he wants the fight too.

Roger, who is also Floyd's trainer, wants the fight, although he has done his best to scupper it by suggesting Pacquiao has used performance-enhancing drugs – something the Filipino denies – an accusation he this week threw at Khan, who shares Pacquiao's conditioner, Alex Ariza, and trainer, Freddie Roach.

Pacquiao this week denied he was going through his considerable fortune, confirming that he is worth $26m (£16m), even though he has earned much more than that in his career. A fight with Mayweather would probably bring each of them upward of $50m, although Pacquiao is reluctant to submit to Olympic-standard drugs tests to convince Mayweather he is clean.

"If the tables were turned and I didn't want to take the test," Mayweather said, "people would be saying Floyd Mayweather is doing something. No wonder he won all these fights. All I'm saying is a fighter doesn't all of a sudden become a good fighter at the age of 25. Do you guys think that Floyd Mayweather could just move to heavyweight and all of a sudden compete with the Klitschko brothers? Absolutely not."

Mayweather was not tempted to pick the winner of Khan's fight against Judah. "It will all come down to who wants it more, who is the smarter fighter and who has the better chin. I fought Zab Judah at 147 pounds. Both are explosive fighters. It's a good fight to watch.

"Amir Khan came here and trained in the boxing gym with my uncle Roger a few times. He's a good young fighter. We're in the fight game so every fighter wants to fight Floyd Mayweather. But he must get past the obstacles put in front of him first. Then we'll go from there."

He would not be drawn on his uncle's evidence-free claims about Khan. "It's not my place to comment on what Roger said about Amir Khan and steroids. All I will say is that if you are facing Floyd Mayweather, you got to take the test." Neither will he budge from the view that he is the biggest draw in boxing, and it is true he has posted several impressive pay-per-view numbers.

"Everywhere I go, I will make a good payday. But we got to choose the right opponent and the right time and the right venue. You guys got some great venues. I could fill a soccer stadium over there.

"I like fighters who come to fight. Amir Khan is a young champion. I take my hat off to him. It's a difficult challenge [against Judah]. It will not be easy for either man.

"Every fight I look at as all the same, just another fight. I'm not worried about nothing. You say Victor Ortiz, you say Amir Khan, no matter what name you say, it's just another fighter to Floyd Mayweather."

Mayweather's look-at-me, third-person posturing is not unusual in boxing. It is what sustains nearly all its participants, and arrogance is part of what makes Mayweather a great fighter. He says he fears nobody, that no opponent has ever stretched him to his full potential, and he is right.

He tries to be polite, but it is plain he does not consider Khan capable of it, either. "Have I used my A-game yet? Absolutely not. I have not had to really bite down and say: 'Damn, this is a tough fight.' When I go into a fight it is just another guy. If somebody hits me with a good shot, I go back to the corner and they say: 'It was a good shot but don't worry about it.'"

Mayweather shifts uneasily when asked about the domestic violence charges he has yet to face in court. "We just try to be positive and hope for the best. Once you show me some real photos of someone being battered or beaten, then we just say OK. But I am already in a contact sport, which is boxing, so someone says they got touched in an unlikely manner and people automatically say Floyd Mayweather is guilty. Guys have got to say OK, we seen Mayweather when he fought Zab Judah and when a melee broke out, what did he do? I went back to my corner and conducted myself like a true gentleman."

Mayweather, who is 34 and who has retired twice, says he will box for at least another three years. "I need more titles and more money," he says.

He has had enough questions. With friends and neighbourhood gawpers gathered to pay homage, Mayweather climbs into the ring and goes through his dazzling repertoire of combinations, a ritual so familiar to him and his uncle that each punch finds the moving target as if connected by string.

As we leave, his white Rolls Royce parked outside the gym in a part of Las Vegas some way from the glitter of the Strip is a loud statement by the fighter who is comfortable with the most appropriate nickname in boxing: "Money."

Source: guardian.co.uk

Roger Mayweather Says Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao Both on Steroids -- Bad Left Hook

By Scott Christ, BadLeftHook.com

It's kind of like Roger Mayweather, who is currently part of a defamation suit with Manny Pacquiao on the other side, never learns. In an interview with Chris Robinson of the Examiner, Mayweather again claimed that Pacquiao is "on steriods," and threw Amir Khan into the claim, too:

"The only reason Amir Khan has become the fighter he is, is because he’s got those steroids in his ass too. The same thing Pacquiao’s got in him. I know because those motherf***ers told me," Roger retorted.

Bold accusations but to know Roger you shouldn’t be surprised. Pressing him for more details on who exactly was dishing out the info to him, he claims to have gotten close to a few members from Team Pacquiao.

"Motherf***ers from Pacquiao’s camp, that’s who. I talk to them dudes all the time."

I will say two things for the millionth time each:

1.Roger Mayweather says a lot of things.
2.No, it wouldn't shock me. Sorry if that offends you, but no it wouldn't shock me.

Besides sharing trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao and Khan both share conditioning coach Alex Ariza. That is not to say I think there's anything going on, but if you're going to accuse Pacquiao, as Roger has done many times over, then I guess you might as well accuse Khan, too. Same team. Be consistent, I guess.

Mayweather also favors Zab Judah to beat Khan on Saturday, and says there are no hard feelings between he and the Judah camp, with whom he brawled during Zab's fight against Floyd Jr in 2006.

Source: badlefthook.com

AMIR KHAN: I'M MORE OF A MANNY THAN ZAB JUDAH IS -- UK Express

By John Dillon, Express.co.uk

AMIR KHAN believes his ­experiences learning from the great Manny Pacquiao will give him the speed, power and the critical knowledge of southpaw opposition to end Zab Judah’s comeback.

Amid the acrimonious build-up to the light-welterweight world-title bout in Las Vegas on Saturday, Amir Khan’s trainer Freddie Roach has claimed that his fighter is hitting harder than ever.

It is the result of some intense workouts with sparring partners drafted in to mimic the style of 33-year-old Judah, who is a lefty. And also of Khan’s past work with the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter, the southpaw Filipino Pacquiao.

Roach has also instigated a new physical conditioning regime which has included gruelling sessions running in sand along with work in the pool, now that Khan has finally learned to swim.

Khan, 24, puts the WBA belt he has defended four times in the past two years on the line against Judah, the IBF champion, at the Mandalay Bay resort on The Strip.

“Zab is up there with the best fighters I’ve faced,” said Khan. “He’s a five-time world champion and a two-weight world champion. He has that southpaw style, which is very awkward. But I don’t think he will be able to take the pressure of my speed and power.

“We were lucky to be sparring with Manny Pacquiao in previous camps. He’s probably the most powerful southpaw and that was a great help for me. We’ve also been watching on tape a few things that Zab does and where he makes mistakes, so I know exactly what his style is like.”

Both fighters took part in official arrival ceremonies at the venue hotel yesterday, although Judah is refusing to speak directly to the British media following a row with the Khan camp over TV revenues from the UK. Judah has won five world titles in the light-welterweight and welterweight divisions. He first won the IBF belt 11 years ago and claimed it back when he stopped Kaizer Mabuza in the seventh round in March.

Roach, however, who guides the careers of Khan and Pacquiao at his Wild Card gym in Hollywood, believes the Englishman is in shape to deliver a repeat of his victory over Argentinian Marcos Maidana last December, which was voted Fight of the Year by American boxing writers.

Roach said: “I will have to buy a new body bag for protection against his punches. Amir is really hurting me, digging me in the ribs – but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Khan has been reunited with conditioner Alex Ariza after a brief break-up and has also been joined by two of his gym-mates, Rau’shee Warren and Raynell Williams, in the pool.

Roach said: “When the sparring partners went swimming with Amir, one swallowed so much water he sunk like a rock and the other one just sunk.

“But they both came back from the session saying they were going to learn to swim as well as Amir can – and he has only just started. It’s the same in the gym. They tried to do his programme but could not believe anyone could get through so much work.”

Khan v Judah will be broadcast live on Primetime pay-per-view, channel 480 on Sky, for £14.95.

Source: express.co.uk

Khan hits back at Mayweather drug 'nonsense' after attack by Floyd's uncle -- Daily Mail

By Jeff Powell, DailyMail.co.uk

Amir Khan has hit back angrily at allegations that he has used steroids to boost his climb through boxing’s weight divisions.

The uncle of Floyd Mayweather Jnr, who Khan hopes to meet in a mega-fight next year, has linked Britain’s world light-welterweight champion to the family’s claims that Manny Pacquiao’s ascent to become the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet has been achieved by drug abuse.

Roger Mayweather voiced suspicions because Khan is in the same stable as Pacquiao under master trainer Freddie Roach.

Khan, 24, said: ‘I’ve consistently proved that I am a clean fighter. This is nonsense. I’ve been tested repeatedly in my career, before and after fights, at home and my base in Los Angeles.

Don’t forget that I came through the Olympics (in 2004) where testing is very thorough. I’ve never refused the test, even though I could have done so when I received an unannounced knock on the door a month after my last fight against Paul McCloskey.’

Khan was so upset that he passed on concerns heard in America about Mayweather himself. He said: ‘It’s not for me to say but quite a few people over here wondered if Floyd was on something when he fought Oscar De La Hoya because he suddenly looked so much bigger.’

Khan is here for a world title unification fight with American Zab Judah on Saturday, and trainer Roach also ridiculed the allegations.

Roach said: ‘I would question Roger Mayweather’s education about steroids, first of all. This is nothing more than hearsay. I can promise you that none of my fighters, Amir and Manny included, have ever been to the drugs chemist.’

While the world is gagging to see Mayweather fight Pacquiao, differences between the two have opened up the possibility of Khan getting his shot at the boastful American next year. But first he must deal with Judah, 33, a fellow world-title holder.

And Roach believes his fighters have a good chance if a bout with Mayweather does take place: ‘We are not looking beyond Judah but I am in the position of having two boxers who are capable of beating Mayweather.’

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Amir “King” Khan Speeding Toward Greatness -- The Sweet Science

By David A. Avila, The Sweet Science

LOS ANGELES-Inside the world famous Wild Card Boxing gym a small gang of reporters gathered around the ring to see one of the new wave of pound for pound fighters, WBA junior welterweight titleholder Amir “King” Khan.

Most of the photographers brought their fast lens because if not, you run the risk of getting a series of blurs in most of the photo shots. Khan is that fast.

The lightning reflexes of Khan (25-1, 17 KOs) will be tested by IBF junior welterweight titleholder Zab Judah (41-6, 28 KOs) next week in Las Vegas. Once upon a time Judah had those same kinds of bullet-quick reflexes too. He still has some of that quickness but he absolutely has the same kind of staggering power.

There’s the rub.

Two major questions will be answered when Khan meets Judah in a unification bout: can Khan emerge as the heir apparent to Manny Pacquiao and can he win the big fight?

Judah thinks not.

“He’s got all the talent in the world to lose and come back,” said Judah. “That’s what happened to me and that’s what he is going to learn the hard way.”

Judah was referring to his unification title fight with Kostya Tszyu in November 2001. At the time Judah was undefeated and because of his overwhelming speed and power was the odds-maker’s favorite to dethrone the Russian. Instead, he was knocked out in two rounds.

“Listen I don’t like to compare fighters to my time but come July 23, he’s going to learn the lesson I learned,” said Judah, 33. “It’s no disrespect.”

Ever since Khan tasted defeat several years ago, the lean super quick 140-pounder has rebooted with the help of famed trainer Freddie Roach to rocket toward winning the world title and making four successive defenses.

Last December his bout with Argentina’s rough housing Marcos Maidana helped showcase not only his fighting skills but battling heart as well. It was voted “Fight of the Year” by numerous sports publications. This past April he returned to England where he shut out rival countryman Paul McCloskey for six rounds until an accidental head butt caused a bad cut on McCloskey. Khan won by decision against the southpaw.

“With McCloskey he didn’t want to fight. He was losing six nil. Then the head clash happened. I think I would have knocked him out. It seemed to me he just didn’t want to fight,” said Khan, age 24. “At the end of the day he was a southpaw and I’ll hopefully use that as an advantage against Zab Judah.”

When Judah met Khan during the opening press conference in Los Angeles he told the younger champion that he was going to lose his title.

“No disrespect, it’s what we do. We talk,” said Judah about the face to face verbal confrontation.

Khan says that Judah told him he would steal the title.

“Zab was saying he’s going to steal the belt but nothing about winning the belt. That shows what kind of champion he is, to want to steal the belt. I told him I’ll let my fists do the talking,” said Khan.

The British prizefighter has a checkered following: people either like him or loathe him in his native country. But that can be a very good thing. Look at the career of Oscar De La Hoya, who had the same type of relationship with boxing fans.

Ironically, it’s De La Hoya’s company, Golden Boy Promotions, that is guiding Khan’s career in America.

A win against Judah could advance him toward a junior welterweight reckoning with WBC junior welterweight titleholder Timothy Bradley. A meeting between those two would catapult the winner toward super-stardom. But first Khan must pass through Judah.

“The danger is understanding Judah’s southpaw stance. He doesn’t fight like a traditional southpaw. He attacks from the left side. The game plan has been really well done. We had a couple of fights to watch. The (Lucas) Matthysse fight gives us a pretty good blueprint,” said Roach, who is training Khan at the Wild Card Boxing gym in Hollywood. “We’re going to have to nullify that jab and take it away from him. I think Amir should win every round. Judah is tricky with his shoulder rolls, he’s a little bit Mayweather and a little bit Pernell Whitaker.”

Whitaker is now training Judah.

“Of course my fighter is going to win,” said the Hall of Fame boxer Whitaker. “But we can’t underestimate the opponent Khan.”

Judah predicts that Khan will learn a lesson that the New Yorker learned a decade ago in valuing his speed and power over experience.

“I don’t like comparing fighters to other fighters but he’s going to learn a valuable lesson,” predicts Judah. “It’s going to be a great fight.”

Khan predicts an overwhelming victory.

“My speed is going to beat him,” Khan said.

Fights on television

Fri. ESPN2, 6 p.m., Pawel Wolak (29-1) vs. Delvin Rodriguez (25-5-2).

Fr. Showtime, 8:05 p.m., Diego Magdaleno (19-0) vs. Alejandro Perez (15-2-1).

Fri. Telefutura, 11:30 p.m., Abner Cotto (10-0) vs. Carlos Claudio (10-6-3).

Source: thesweetscience.com

Roach: Khan ahead of Pacquiao -- Yahoo! Sports

Reuters

Britain's WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan is a superior boxer at 24 than Filipino Manny Pacquiao was at the same age, according to trainer Freddie Roach who works with both fighters.

Khan, like Pacquiao, is a southpaw renowned for his speed and hard work ethic and Roach firmly believes he will emulate the Filipino by becoming the sport's best pound-for-pound fighter within the next two years.

"Amir is little bit more ahead of Manny," the bespectacled Roach told Reuters at his Wild Card Boxing Club. "It took Manny Pacquiao eight years to get to the point where he became unbeatable and he has dominated every fight.

"Amir has been with me for just three years now and he's getting closer and closer.

"He will become the pound-for-pound king within a couple of years. He is well ahead of schedule and a big win here against Zab (Judah) would be another step towards Manny's record."

Khan, who has a career record of 25-1 with 17 knockouts, is scheduled to take on experienced American IBF holder Zab Judah in a unification fight in Las Vegas on July 23.

While the 33-year-old Judah is a highly respected figure in boxing, Roach is confident Khan will triumph in style at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino - and probably inside the 12 scheduled rounds.

"Zab will need to be at his best to survive in this one," said Roach, who has worked with 31 world champions in his Wild Card gym on the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles.

"I am very confident in my guy. We are ready to fight, we know when and where to attack this guy and how to attack him. We will win and walk away.

"I do not see this fight going the distance. We will overwhelm him with our speed and power, and I think Zab doesn't really take to getting hit like he once did."

Khan agreed that a knockout was likely, but he was wary of making any iron-clad prediction.

"I really think I will get a knockout in this fight but I never go into a fight looking for a knockout because that's when you start making mistakes," the Englishman told Reuters before beginning a training session in the ring with Roach.

"I'm going to go in there boxing and if the knockout comes it comes. But we are ready for the full 12-round distance. We have worked very hard for this fight and we know that we've got a good game plan that I'm going to be following."

Khan, who won the WBA title against Andreas Kotelnik of Ukraine two years ago, readily admits he would never have made such quick progress in his boxing career without the influence of Roach and 10-times world champion Pacquiao.

"They've brought the best out of me," he said. "Mentally they have made me a better fighter by thinking about what I need to do and sticking to a game plan whereas before I just used to go in there and fight with my heart.

"We know we've got the heart to go in there and fight with anyone but we need to have the game plan and I need to have the mental strength to stick to that game plan."

Asked what had been his greatest lesson from Pacquiao, Bolton-born Khan replied: "It's just good to be in the same camp as him. I work with him and I see what he does and, in a way, I just follow his customs.

"Manny is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and if I can even spar with him and do well against him that's a great confidence boost for me.

"He's so down-to-earth and he loves to help me. Just a few words from Manny is a big thing for me. We've become friends now. I'm 24 and I've been training with Manny since I was 22.

It's a great experience and you can't buy that experience."

Khan, a former Olympic silver medallist, has clear-cut goals well beyond his July 23 showdown with Judah.

"Later this year, I am hoping to fight Erik Morales," he said. "That would be a big fight for me. He's a big name over here in the States.

"From there, maybe I will move up to 147 (pounds) and try to take on Floyd Mayweather. That's what we are looking at. You need to have ambitions and my main goal is to fight for the pound-for-pound title.

"I've still got a long, long way to go and I am learning every day and in every fight. But I am getting there slowly."

Source: uk.eurosport.yahoo.com

Amir Khan's ultimate aim is to beat Floyd Mayweather Jnr to become world’s No 1 pound-for-pound boxer -- Telegraph

The Telegraph

World Boxing Association light-welterweight champion Khan, who is preparing for a unification contest with International Boxing Federation champion Zab Judah in Las Vegas a week on Saturday, would not even rule out a contest with stablemate Manny Pacquiao as the 24-year-old Boltonian came clean about his career wish list.

Khan, who insisted he was “not looking past Judah”, who he ranks as a “tough, awkward and dangerous opponent”, explained that there were plans in place for a contest with Mayweather in the division above.

Khan said: “I think within 12 months the Mayweather fight will happen. It is three fights away. If I beat Zab Judah and then have one more contest at 140lbs [light-welterweight] I will then move up to welterweight where I will carry my power. The cut in weight is affecting my power at the moment.”

The plan for Khan is to move forward should he beat Judah, and then fight Mexican legend Erik Morales in November before moving to welterweight and fighting emerging British star Kell Brook at welterweight, in the UK.

The prospect of Khan facing Mayweather at this juncture in his career still suggests a potential mismatch in spite of the Boltonian’s fast hands, but Khan went further: “Mayweather often talks about wanting to fight in the UK and it would be great if he came over here to fight in the summer around the time of the Olympics.”

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Target Mayweather! Amir aiming for $100m super fight against controversial American -- Daily Mail

By Jeff Powell, DailyMail.co.uk

British boxing's post-Haye renaissance began with the unveiling of a four-bout programme for Amir Khan, culminating in a super fight with Floyd Mayweather Jnr.

Mayweather, America's controversial candidate as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, has already agreed in principle to a $100million showdown against Khan in the autumn of next year, assuming they both remain unbeaten.

The agenda for Britain's world light-welterweight champion was made public in London by Richard Schaefer, chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions.

Khan meets the dangerous Zab Judah in Las Vegas in a title unification fight on July 23. He is then expected to move on to an awesome battle in the US against Mexican legend Erik Morales.

That is expected to be followed by a move up to welterweight in preparation for challenging Mayweather, via a homecoming fight in Britain next spring. A likely opponent then would be British champion Kell Brook, with whom Khan has been exchanging banter on Twitter.

That would set the stage for the mega match against Mayweather, who makes his comeback after more than a year out of the ring against Victor Ortiz on September 17.

There is a projected date of May 5 next year for Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao in the fight the world wants to see but Schaefer says: 'We are confident Floyd beats Manny and that Amir will come through his three challenges.

'I believe Amir is the best fighter in the UK now and is destined to become the next pound-for-pound king.

Best in the business? Schaefer, chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions, says Khan is Britain's best fighter
'Las Vegas, the HBO network and more and more people in America are becoming excited about Amir. He proved in that Fight of the Year before Christmas that he doesn't have a suspect chin.

'Given his skills, his will, heart and desire to win, along with his personality, that makes him the complete package.'

Khan-Judah will be aired on pay per view by the expanding Primetime network, although Schaefer does not rule out working with Sky again in the future.

But, as the American promoter for Haye, he is concerned about the best way to repackage Britain's fallen world heavyweight champion should he decide to postpone his retirement.

Of Haye's disastrous night against Wladimir Klitschko in a Hamburg football ground, Schaefer said: 'David did not come to fight. He didn't try to win, never went for it and didn't even take a risk when he was so far behind on points.

'It was not the David Haye we know and he should never have mentioned his little toe. But we're not writing him off after one terrible night.'

Haye will not be given a rematch by Wladimir but the German camp have hinted at a possible fight against his older brother, WBC champion Vitali.

But Schaefer warned: 'After last Saturday there'll be nothing like the same money, no football stadium and I can't envisage anything like the same pay-per-view audience.

'Our advice is for David to take a couple of fights in America to rebuild his image as a fast, exciting and charismatic heavyweight. Then he would still need a big win back in Britain to push him towards another challenge against one of the Klitschkos… if they really want it.'

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Khan set to step in the ring with Zab Judah as deal is struck to fight in Vegas -- Daily Mail

By Jeff Powell, DailyMail.co.uk

Amir Khan’s search for an opponent for his big summer fight in America will bring him into a world light-welterweight championship unification fight with the controversial Zab Judah.

Britain’s former Olympic silver medallist and WBA titleholder will meet the once rebellious but now God-fearing IBF champion Judah in Las Vegas on July 23.

Khan told The Sun: 'Judah has done a lot of bad mouthing but we will see what he has to offer when he steps into the ring. Once I have beaten him I will go after the other belts.'

This replaces the proposed, alternative title unifier with Tim Bradley, who is waiting for his promotional contract with Gary Shaw to expire before returning to the ring.

The born-again Judah will present a stiff enough test for Khan to have re-hired the physical trainer from whom he separated recently.

Alex Ariza has quickly replaced one-fight replacement Michael Gove even though his split with Khan came down to a financial dispute.

Ariza is the preferred medical science aide to master trainer Freddie Roach and as such works on the strength and diet of pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.

There is too much at stake – and potentially at risk – against Judah and the likes of Tim Bradley and Floyd Mayweather Jnr to follow - for Team Khan to be putting pounds sterling before perfect poundage from now.

Judah told The Sun: ''I got what I wanted, so I am happy. Now it's time to go to work. 'I've prayed so long for this fight with Khan to happen. Now we've signed I've got the chance to be an undisputed world champion at two weights.

Tough customer: The rebellious turned god-fearing Zab Judah is likely to provide a stern test for Khan
'I've done it at 147lb and now I will do it again at 140, starting with the title held by Khan. Whatever he brings to the ring I can deal with.

'He might not know it but he is about to become a former world champion. Amir wanted to fight Bradley first because he couldn't break an egg with his punches.' Khan hit back: 'I am better than him and I'll prove it in Vegas.'

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Khan disapproves of Haye's disrespectful conduct -- ESPN

ESPN.co.uk

Amir Khan has urged David Haye to stop disrespecting Wladimir Klitschko ahead of the Brit's world heavyweight title encounter later this year.

Khan is a big fan of Haye, but he admits it has been difficult to watch his compatriot in the build-up to the July 2 bout. The Hayemaker has repeatedly refused to shake Klitschko's hand, preferring instead to belittle the Ukrainian's ability as a boxer.

While Klitschko has appeared relaxed and jovial, Haye has remained serious and dismissive of his rival, insisting he bores opponents into defeat. Khan would prefer it if Haye left his talking until fight night.

"I would never do that," Khan said in the Daily Mirror. "I have always tried to be respectful to my opponents.

"David should leave that kind of stuff for the ring but I suppose he wanted to show that he was not scared of this guy who was so much bigger than him.

"Everyone's different but I never go into a ring hating my opponent. I'd make mistakes."

Khan's own situation sees him attempting to lure Timothy Bradley into a light-welterweight unification bout, although financial disagreements could see the encounter fail to materialise. One man Khan will never face, despite misquoted comments from coach Freddie Roach, is Manny Pacquiao.

"If you are going to be the best, you have to fight the best," Khan said."I want to fight at the elite level to show people how good I am and I have the tools to beat [Floyd] Mayweather.

"I'm faster than him and I have a better punch, but he is technically brilliant and very smart. Those qualities will come to me in time, especially as I have the best trainer in the world in Freddie Roach. I think Mayweather will happen in 2012.

"But there will never be a fight between Manny and me. We respect each other too much. It just wouldn't feel right."

Source: espn.co.uk

McCloskey: I made Khan look pretty average on Saturday night -- The Score

By Niall Kelly, thescore.ie

PAUL MCCLOSKEY HAS rubbished suggestions that Amir Khan is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world at present, claiming that he made the WBA Super-Lightweight Champion look “pretty average” during their fight on Saturday evening.

Referee Luis Pabon and ringside doctor Fraser Pinkney ordered the bout to be stopped after just six rounds when an accidental clash of heads left McCloskey with a nasty looking gash above his right eye. The fight was decided by the ringside judges who unanimously awarded all six rounds to the defending champion.

Though McCloskey’s camp were furious with the premature stoppage and have lodged an official complaint with boxing’s authorities, Khan has already started to plot his next move, eyeing up a divisional reunification contest with American Timothy Bradley before taking on stablemate Manny Pacquiao, the man currently regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Speaking to Newstalk’s Off The Ball last night, the Dungiven man laughed off suggestions that Khan could even be considered in the same class, saying that the Briton had done nothing of note during their six rounds in the ring together.

“Anybody with a brain or anybody who knows anything about boxing knows that those six rounds were pretty close,” McClosksey said.

I made Amir Khan who has been recognised as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world look pretty average and pretty ordinary. He was doing no damage to me whatsoever.
Describing himself as “completely gutted” and “mesmerised” by Saturday night’s events, the previously-undefeated 31-year-old said that his plan was to let Khan tire himself out as he sought to score an early and impressive knockout in front of the British crowd.

“To be fair, I was behind on points but we had a bit of a gameplan,” McCloskey said. “We knew he was going to come out early on and try to blast me away because he was trying to impress the crowd and he’d a bit of job to do.”

“I could feel the difference even in the number of punches that were coming my way. The number of punches per round were coming down, he wasn’t making me work as much, so we were going to up the tempo in the second half of the fight.”

The Northerner also dismissed Khan’s suggestion that a knockout was imminent had the bout not been waved off as post-fight bluster, saying “talk’s cheap at that stage.”

He said that at the press conference, but to be honest anything I put to him at the press conference, he couldn’t answer me back.

He’s very good at talking the talk once the event’s over, but he was quiet before the fight and up to that point.

Although he conceded that the chances of Khan agreeing to rematch were “slim,” McCloskey said that the manner in which the fight ended has done his future prospects no harm at all.

“To come out of the fight the way I did, it does my ranking no harm. I’m still highly ranked, and I’ve no doubt that I’ll be back fighting for a title in the very near future – if not this title then another one.”

Source: thescore.ie

AMIR KHAN IS CUT OUT FOR TILT AT TIM BRADLEY -- UK Express

By Niall Hickman, express.co.uk

AMIR KHAN can sail serenely towards a showdown with his hero Manny Pacquiao and ignore the spurious calls for a rematch from Paul McCloskey’s camp.

Boxing’s authorities may have shot themselves in the foot for a second time only a few months after the Audley Harrison-David Haye fiasco by calling a premature halt to McCloskey’s challenge, but the Ulsterman was never in danger of taking Khan’s WBA world light- welterweight title.

After a clash of heads in the sixth round, the ring doctor ruled that McCloskey’s cut was too severe to continue. McCloskey has probably cut himself worse in the shaving mirror, so to take away his stab at stardom was wrong and cruel.

British Boxing Board of Control secretary Robert Smith said: “I have absolutely no problem with the competence of the doctor. Fraser Pinkney is very experienced, has worked with the board for many years and it was his judgment call. He felt there would be a considerable amount of blood getting into McCloskey’s eye.”

The fact that Khan had bossed each round by an increasing margin means calls for a rematch should be ignored and McCloskey’s cut, requiring just seven stitches, cannot cloud the simple truth that he would not beat the champion in a month of Sundays. McCloskey does not have the tools to beat a global talent like Khan.

It was not vintage Khan – he took two or three rounds to find his range against an elusive opponent – but it was enough to prove that under Freddie Roach’s tutelage he is now ready for the step up to Tim Bradley. They are close to securing a fight in Las Vegas on July 23.

Roach said: “I know Tim Bradley well and he is one hell of a fighter, but would I put Amir in with him in the ring tomorrow and expect my boxer to win? Yes I would.

“Their fight will determine who is the best at 140lbs and then the winner should go up to 147lbs and take on Manny Pacquiao. That is my feeling.”

Khan admits he is desperate to unify the titles as the Californian holds the WBC and WBO belts.


“Bradley and me belong in the same class, world class, whereas I have proven that McCloskey does not,” said Khan.

“Bradley is a good fighter but that’s just going to push me and motivate me.

“Bradley is quick, fast on his feet and he can punch. He is a proven world champion.

“When I go back to LA for my training camp, knowing it is Bradley I’m fighting is going to push me even more.

“I have to go over to America and take his world titles but I am very willing to do that.

“I want to be in with Tim Bradley next. What would be the point of a rematch with McCloskey? It was an easy fight for me.”

Khan showed in glimpses some of the lightning hand speed which has made him such a marketable talent and although he will be facing a far more formidable opponent in Bradley, he has the tools to win Stateside.

Khan may not have liked to beat McCloskey this way, but compared to Harrison v Haye, this was at least a contest.

Source: express.co.uk

Amir Khan: On Katie Price, drugs and growing up -- The Independent

By Alan Hubbard, The Independent

It was nine years ago this month that I first encountered Amir Khan. He was competing in the English Schools Championships in Barnsley and an amateur boxing contact had marked my card about a "sensational" 15-year-old from Bolton. "The best kid of his age you'll ever see."

He was right. Young Amir, all flashing fists and scurrying feet, demolished his opponents in quick time, went on to become the Olympic lightweight silver medallist at 17 and, four years later, the WBA world light-welterweight champion.

It is some journey from Barnsley to Baguio City in the Philippines, where I tracked down Khan to chat about his upcoming title defence in Manchester against Ulster's unbeaten European champion Paul McCloskey on 16 April.

He is training there with the fabulous Filipino Manny Pacquiao, his new best friend and stablemate, in a state-of-the-art high altitude complex complete with running track and swimming pool. A far cry from his days as a schoolboy scrapper.

Over the years he has hit a few headlines as well as his opponents, though he is adamant that fame, the considerable fortune he has already amassed and the A-list company he keeps in Hollywood have not turned his head. "I'm still the same person I always was. I may look arrogant in the ring but I've always been humble. More so now because even though he is the greatest boxer in the world Manny is incredibly humble. He is an example to me, and I try to be an example to youngsters back home."

The point is well made because, at 24, Khan is not the first to discover that celebrity comes at a price. In his case Katie Price, aka Jordan, some tabloids suggesting – erroneously, he insists – that they may have indulged in a spot of horizontal sparring.

"I've learned to live with this sort of thing, it's not got to me one bit," he says. "There's absolutely nothing gone on between us. The media made it out that me and Katie were seeing each other and stuff but they've got the wrong end of the stick, we are just friends and we have only ever talked with each other. I think she is a really nice person, nothing like what people say about her in the press. Actually there are a lot of things that I am alleged to have done that I haven't." In fact there is no particular girl in his life at the moment. "I'm young and single, and married to boxing."

Having cleared that up, Khan is also happy to put the record straight about the split with his conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, following his gruelling title defence against Marcos Maidana, which Khan came close to losing in a dramatic 10th round.

The break-up, he says, had nothing to do with unfounded rumours of illegal pills and power potions being used in the Pacquiao camp – largely fuelled by Floyd Mayweather Jnr – of which he is now part. "It was nothing like that. We simply moved on. Alex was also working with Manny but now I have someone [nutritionist Michael Vale] who is working only with me. Alex and I still say hello to each other; after all, it's a professional game. But you have to do what you feel is best for yourself.

"The drugs rumours were upsetting but I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like that happening. People always say when someone is successful: 'Ah, but they take drugs, don't they?' Well, in my case it's simply not true, nor is it in Manny's.

"I've never been approached to take anything and it's something I will always stay away from, in or outside the ring. Drugs can ruin your career, people can be destroyed by drugs, and I am determined that is not going to happen to mine. I keep on training hard because it is boxing that's got me where I am and I'm not going to let that slip away."

However, Khan does admit to being annoyed at Ariza accusing his father of using Amir as a meal ticket "because he doesn't want to go back to driving cabs for a living". In fact Shah Khan is a successful businessman. "Some of the things he said about my father were very unfair, though they were said in the heat of the moment and I am sure he feels bad about it now. I didn't get that much involved, but my team thought it was best for a change.

"I'll be really strong in this fight," he adds. "I have been working on new things with Michael, tweaking things, making it a little bit tougher. I've also changed my diet and gone very organic, eating the right food at the right time, lots of fish and fresh vegetables. Now I understand what I'm eating and why I'm eating it. It's like having a petrol car, you don't put diesel in it."

Khan flies back from the Philippines today and trainer Freddie Roach will join him next week. "He'll be taking a break from preparing Manny for his next fight [against Shane Mosley] so it will be good to have him with me. I want to get this fight out of the way and then concentrate on a unification bout with Tim Bradley [the WBC champion] in the summer."

Kid Khan may be King Khan now but he happily acknowledges making a few mistakes along the way. "Most kids do when they're growing up. But I am a better, wiser person for it. I want to prove I am a true champion, someone to look up to. That has to be my legacy."

Source: independent.co.uk

ACTION MAN AMIR KHAN -- Daily Star

By Nick Parkinson, Daily Star

AMIR KHAN has given himself four years to complete his mission of becoming an undisputed world champion in three different weight divisions.

The WBA light-­welterweight champion defends his world title for the fourth time against Northern Irish challenger Paul McCloskey at the MEN Arena in Manchester on April 16 and says it may be the last time British fans see him as a ten-stone fighter.

Khan, 24, wants to get past McCloskey to set up a showdown against rival world champion Tim Bradley in America on July 23.

Unbeaten Yank Bradley holds the WBC and WBO versions of the world title.

But, despite plans to face the American, Khan (right) insists he is not ­overlooking the threat posed by European king McCloskey, 31.

He said: “I want to clean up at light-welterweight and then move up to welterweight and light-middleweight.
“I’ve always said 28 would be a good age for me to retire.

Bolton born-and-bred Khan, who won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Athens, has a clear target of what he wants to achieve. He told the Daily Star Sunday: “I want to unify divisions and fight the best.

I have got time to do that. I want to beat the likes of Victor Ortiz, clean up there and be a true champion like Manny Pacquiao is.

“That’s why ­McCloskey is such a huge fight for me because I am fully aware that, if I make any mistake, these big uni-fication fights like Bradley will not happen.

“So I want to get this fight out of the way before I start thinking about unifying the title.

“It would be stupid of me to sign for a fight before my next one.

“There might be talk of a fight against Bradley in the summer but there is no way I’m looking past ­McCloskey.”

Khan, who is trained by Freddie Roach in the USA, said: “This will be one of my last fights at light-welterweight in Britain.

“That’s why I want people to come and watch me on the night. I want to show fans how much I have improved.”

Bolton’s world champion will this week be sparring with Pacquiao.

And he added: “I spar with Manny this week.

“I’m training at altitude, 5,500 feet up and I’m pushing myself harder than ever.”

Source: dailystar.co.uk

Khan is growing into a real Manny but Judah admits Mayweather is close to calling time -- Daily Mail

By Jeff Powell, Daily Mail

As the virtues of Manny Pacquiao are being extolled by Bolton's finest, the future of Floyd Mayweather Jnr lurches between a rap and a hard place.

As our own Amir Khan gives thanks for falling under the influence of Filipino shanty-town courtesy rather than US ghetto culture, Zab Judah predicts retirement for his African-American soul-mate.

As one door finally opens - Haye versus Klitschko is signed, sealed and ready to be delivered - another stays closed. Maybe permanently.

According to Judah, a former world champion in the throes of resurrecting his own career, Mayweather has confided that he is finished with boxing. If so then the richest fight of all time will never happen.

Pacquiao versus Mayweather - for the indisputable title of greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world - is already jeopardised by Floyd Junior's impending assault trials. Now Judah is indicating that Mayweather is hanging up the gloves.

When he reports his ring-mate as saying that he is going to 'chill out for at least a couple of years,' it carries a worrying ring of authenticity.

Mayweather faces two delayed court cases in Las Vegas next month and the latest hot tip from the gambling capital of the world is that if he fails to beat the rap he will serve two of the 34 years' maximum sentence.

Even if Pacquiao - now a Philippines congressman as well as an unprecedented eight-division world champion - was willing to wait that long, his patience with a rival who has insinuated that he is a drugs cheat might be in vain.

Mayweather - perhaps realising that the safest way of protecting the unbeaten record about which he obsesses is to quit the ring before fighting Pacquiao - is hinting at an afterlife in music and movies with his friend and business partner, the rapper 50 Cent.

Would that make Money Mayweather the full dollar? Not according to Khan.

At the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles, just before jetting off with master-trainer Freddie Roach to join the PacMan at their Philippines trainng camp, Britain's world light-welterweight champion said: 'Look at Manny, he is a nice guy, modest and generous with everyone, especially those who come from poverty like himself.

'Then you look at Floyd Mayweather, who is a great talent but has a bad personality. I don't want to be known as a fighter like that. I want to be loved the way people love Manny.'

To that end, like Pacquiao, Khan devotes much of his time to charity.

The pair of them are back together sparring for their upcoming fights. Khan defends his title against Ireland's unbeaten European champion Paul McCloskey in Manchester on April 16, with an eye to a world championship unification battle with Tim Bradley in July.

Pacquiao takes on Sugar Shane Mosley in Vegas on May 7.

Mayweather, meanwhile, is less profitably engaged. And even if he did feel inclined to come back after two years in a hard place with Pacquiao possibly retired by then, it might be discouraging for him to find a fully developed Amir Khan gloved up and awaiting his return.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Tim Bradley has changes to make before Pacquiao fight becomes likely -- Examiner

By Scott Heritage, Examiner.com

After his ten round technical decision victory over Devon Alexander last weekend, the speculation over who WBO/WBC light welterweight champion Tim Bradley's next opponent might be has become one of the most talked about subjects in the sport.

While the obvious choice might be a bout against WBA champion Amir Khan to unify three of the four major titles at the weight and with it any lingering doubt as to who the best fighter in the division is, Bradley himself seems to have other plans.

Despite the fact that the Alexander fight was neither a crowd pleaser or a particularly dominant showing from Bradley, in part due to the ending and a bad clash of styles, the one name mentioned consistently by Bradley if not his current promoter has been pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao.

Before that fight has any realistic chance of happening though, there are several things that have to change for Bradley.

The first of which is likely his promotional status.

Top Rank boss Bob Arum said recently that Bradley was the kind of opponent he would welcome for Pacquiao in the future.

What he didn't mention is the fact that Bradley will become a free agent in the coming months and that Top Rank, along with Golden Boy and current promoter Gary Shaw are all hoping to sign him.

Bradley taking on Pacquiao then likely comes with the caveat that it will only happen if both fighters are under the Top Rank banner at the time.

Looking past a possible showdown with Pacquiao though, in the long term Golden Boy might be the better option for Bradley in terms of available opponents. Their roster currently includes Juan Manuel Marquez, Amir Khan, Marcos Maidana, Victor Ortiz and Lucas Matthysse, all interesting opponents.

Top Rank on the other hand certainly has a deep roster of fighters but at light welterweight and even welterweight their ranks are a little thin these days, and Bradley likely wouldn't be able to effectively compete at junior middleweight or above where the majority of their talent has been heading to of late.

Aside from the promotional difficulties in putting a fight together with Pacquiao, there are other concerns, namely Bradley's effectiveness at welterweight and his tendency to inadvertently headbutt opponents causing fight ending cuts.

In his sole outing north of the 140lb division, Bradley looked dominant against Luis Abregu but against a higher caliber of opponent the size and strength difference might have been more telling.

Against Pacquiao this isn't a concern for Bradley as much as Pacquiao is one of the smaller welterweights and moved up in weight himself, but without a resume at the weight many would no doubt question whether Bradley had earned a fight against the best in the division.

Perhaps the biggest concern from Pacquiao's point of view though is the fact that Bradley's head has caused cuts in each of his last five fights, ending two of them prematurely.

Worse than that though, even on his best days he isn't a particularly charismatic or always entertaining fighter to watch, and Pacquiao obviously won't want to look bad even in winning due to a clash of styles. Nor will his team want him to be in against a dangerous and unbeaten fighter that won't contribute much in the pay per view department.

Lastly, the fact that WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan trains with Pacquiao could also for now make the fight unlikely. Pacquiao and Khan have formed a bond since training together and it could well be the case that Pacquiao wouldn't want to rob Khan of the opportunity of becoming the lineal light welterweight champion.

Source: examiner.com

Bradley Makes a Mark in a Talented Division -- New York Times

By PETER OWEN NELSON, The New York Times

PONTIAC, Mich. — In a locker room at the Silverdome, the ringside physician Peter Samet asked the battered junior welterweight Devon Alexander a question about the gash above his right eye: “Do you want a big scar, a little scar or no scar?”

Alexander replied, “No scar.”

With a grin, Samet said, “Some fighters want a scar — like a badge of honor.”

The permanent mark after Saturday’s fight was not on Alexander’s eye from six stitches, but on his record. It was formerly perfect, but is now 21-1 after his loss to the World Boxing Organization champion Timothy Bradley (27-0).

In the talent-rich 140-pound junior welterweight division, Bradley has emerged as the last undefeated champion and, by beating Alexander, the World Boxing Council titleholder, unified two of the three occupied belts. The World Boxing Association belt belongs to Amir Khan (24-1). Just before Saturday’s bout, Khan said of whoever emerged as the victor, “In the summertime, I’m thinking we can have a unification fight.”

Many in boxing hoped that Saturday’s bout would determine supremacy among the junior welterweights. It was the first time since Mike Tyson beat Tony Tucker in 1987 to unify the heavyweight crown that two undefeated continental American champions met. The unanimous technical decision for Bradley, however, was announced less than 10 rounds into the fight. An accidental head butt caused the temporary paralysis of Alexander’s eyelid and forced the referee to end the fight, eliciting a chorus of boos from the modest crowd of 6,247.

The victory, its anticlimactic finish aside, firmly puts Bradley in the top tier of junior welterweights. Now there will be a push for him to face Khan to determine who rules the division. Khan’s promoters said that matchup could take place in late July, after Khan’s tuneup fight April 16 in Manchester, England.

Bradley’s manager, Cameron Dunkin, said Saturday, “Amir Khan’s a great fight for Tim, as is Marcos Maidana,” referring to the Argentine boxer whom Khan defeated Dec. 11. Bradley had previously expressed his envy of Khan’s financial success, saying, “They aren’t paying me his dollars, and I’m the top guy in the division.”

The consensus among fans, promoters and HBO (which aired Saturday’s bout) is that a star will emerge from among the junior welterweights. A Bradley-Khan showdown this summer would help build the profile of both fighters. At stake is not only prestige and potential stardom, but also a possible lucrative payday against one of boxing’s two biggest names: Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao (who both fight as welterweights).

“Once the last man of the junior welterweight division is standing, he can go knock on Pacquiao or Mayweather’s door,” the promoter and former champion Oscar De La Hoya said.

Whether Pacquiao or Mayweather answers will be another matter. Both may continue to be too busy not fighting each other in a matchup that has failed to materialize despite multiple negotiations and an eager public.

Khan is trained by Freddie Roach, who also trains Pacquiao.

“I’d never fight Pacquiao because we’re close friends,” Khan said, “but someone like Mayweather could be a fight in the future.”

There are some who doubt that the key to Bradley or Khan’s becoming a star will be a showdown with Pacquiao or Mayweather.

“All of boxing should stop obsessing over Pacquiao and Mayweather fighting each other or anyone else,” said Thomas Hauser, a boxing journalist and a biographer of Muhammad Ali, adding, “The entire sport should just focus on good, exciting, competitive fights.”

Many of those can be made in the junior welterweight division, which boasts not only Bradley, Khan, and Maidana, but also Victor Ortiz, Lamont Peterson and Zab Judah (who is scheduled to fight for a vacant world title in March).

As for Alexander, a first defeat can cause some boxers to unravel, but television networks generally give gifted fighters a second chance. HBO has committed to airing Alexander’s next fight.

“The aftermath of a first loss is a function of the psyche of the fighter,” said Ken Hershman, the vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports, adding, “There are plenty of great fighters who lost close fights but come back stronger than ever.”

Time will tell if Alexander can get past his first defeat. His trainer of 16 years, Kevin Cunningham, seems certain that he will.

While the anesthetic lidocaine was being applied to Alexander’s cut before it was stitched up, Cunningham silently looked at the boxer and surveyed the desolate faces of the fighter’s entourage, before declaring, “Don’t worry, we’ll be back.”

Source: nytimes.com