Amir Khan is back!

Or is he?

On Saturday Amir Khan made his anticipated return to the ring against the unheralded Carlos Molina. In my pre-fight post I said this would be a ‘squash’ match, and well, it was, although I was a little surprised that it went as far as it did, in particular I was surprised that Molina could take Khan’s punch. Credit to Molina for showing considerable heart and desire, although he was always going to be well out of his depth in this fight.

So how did Khan look? Well predictably he absolutely dazzled against an opponent who isn’t world level. Khan’s speed is right up there with the fastest the sport has to offer and Molina, often on the front foot, took huge combinations all night, his face really did tell the whole story. Molina really didn’t have much of a clue in there, it was hard to tell if he even had a plan A, and he certainly didn’t have the boxing IQ to pull out a plan B.

An interesting theme of the fight was that Khan for the most part was more conservative than he usually is. In the past Khan would have looked to have dispatched of an opponent of the ‘calibre’ of Molina inside four or five rounds. This time Khan conserved his energy and was frankly more clinical, he didn’t go looking for the stoppage but rather let it come as a result of his boxing, rather than it being the theme of his boxing. This is a smart approach given that Khan has in the past gassed in the latter stages of fights, for instance in the Maidana fight and also the Peterson fight (although Peterson’s sustained body attack could explain Khan’s later rounds fatigue in that one).

Thus, this more ‘conservative’ approach was the major theme of the fight with respect to the ‘new’ Amir Khan.

So what about Khan’s old flaws?

Well they were still there to see. In particular Khan’s susceptibility to the counter punch and ‘same time’ punch, especially off the left hook, was shown up by Molina especially in rounds 2 and 6. One can’t help but think that if Molina was bigger and more powerful Khan may have been badly hurt. Khan is just too open when he throws his combinations, he leaves his chin hanging out and is unable to get his right hand closer to his chin. This was precisely the reason he lost to Garcia.

Now Khan called out Garcia in the post-fight interview, believing that he would KO Garcia if he performs against him like he did against Molina. This I think is nonsense, if Khan fought like this against Garcia it is Khan who would be the likely recipient of a knock out and not Garcia.

This was a good confidence builder for Khan but he still has a long way to go. Word has it he is considering an April match up with Josesito Lopez, the shock slayer of Victor Ortiz. This I feel is a great match up for Khan, Lopez is definitely someone that Khan should beat, but Lopez does offer a considerably greater threat level than the Carlos Molina’s of this world. Lopez, a very tough, come forward fighter is bigger than Molina and packs a harder punch. He is also very tall for a light welterweight and is thus very rangy, he can also throw a very nice left hook and does so with good timing.

So why is this a good fight for Khan? Well it is because it will give Khan and more broadly the fans of the sport, a better indication of where Khan is as a player in the light welterweight division. Lopez is more than capable of giving Khan serious problems and would, in my opinion, be a decent outside bet to win the fight.

Overall, there were some promising signs for Khan fans but still some way to go before Khan is ready to step in the ring with the divisions elite fighters. As Virgil Hunter is keen stress, the Khan project is very much a ‘work in progress’.

KO artist or con artist?

KO artist or con artist?.

KO artist or con artist?

Deontay Wilder is one of the most curious figures in all of boxing. If you don’t know who he is then he is worth keeping an eye out for. Wilder was a highly decorated amateur having won both the National Golden Gloves and US Championships, he also won an Olympic bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing games, losing to Clemente Russo, a much more experienced opponent and all round stellar amateur. Now what makes this story all the more impressive is that Wilder only took up boxing in 2005, so to win two major national honours and an Olympic medal in the space of 3 years in the game makes Wilder appear all the more precocious.

Immediately after the Olympics Wilder turned pro and has since then amassed, to what is on ‘paper’, one of the scariest and most impressive looking records out there, 26 wins and 26 KOs.

However, in my view this record is exactly what is wrong with boxing, it is, to put it mildly, an absolute disgrace. One of the problems with boxing is the absolute inflation of everything. There are now four major belts, with each of the four major sanctioning bodies offering an array of ‘interim’ or ‘silver’ titles. There are also a large number of lightly regarded ‘world titles’ out there. All of these ‘titles’ are designed to confuse the public and to try to make fights and boxers more marketable, it’s as though a fight for a title of any sort is worth more than a fight without a title (this was hilariously shown in Pacquiao-Marquez 4 where the WBO created a title just for the fight).

Now not only is the inflation of titles a bad thing, but so is the inflation of records. Promoters believe that records are all important, a defeat can render a fighter useless and on the scrap heap, so managing young and/or up and coming fighters so that they build considerable records is an important ploy for promoters to build their fighters into title challengers and to sell them to unwitting audiences.

Wilder’s 26 wins and 26 KO’s is probably the most obscene example of a promoter and management team building up someone to a title shot and household name without actually giving Wilder a real test. Already people are talking up Wilder as a future champion and as being able to beat a Klitschko in the not too distant future, and hell, anyone with that record has a chance surely? Well, the answer is no. Wilder’s record is riddled with journeyman and at best D-list heavyweights. His last two fights were against undefeated opponents, however one of them, Damon McCreary, boasted an impressive 13 fights in 12 years as a pro and had been inactive since 2010. Wilder’s most recent victim, Kelvin Price, has had only 12 fights as a pro and is 37 years old.

So how would Wilder do against a Klitschko? Well he is 6 ft 7 and he does pack a punch, but despite his 26 bouts he is far too green, and most importantly, will always be green if he continues with this level of competition, he could fight 50 more of these guys and he’d still not be ready.

Thus it really is quite simple, until Wilder steps in the ring with proper competition, and is actually given the chance to develop and improve; he just cannot be taken seriously and is therefore something of a con artist.

Dr P.

Is British heavyweight boxing about to take off?

British heavyweight boxing has been without a true, genuine champion since Lennox Lewis. Wait, what about David Haye? Now, even though I am a fan of David Haye: he has legitimate pound for pound power, he is one of the hardest and most explosive punchers in the sport, I also respect his hand speed and ability to put his punches together, Haye will scarcely be remembered as a heavyweight boxer, in the grand scheme of things Haye hasn’t made his mark on the division at all whatsoever. He very explicitly, from the outset, looked to game the division and get out with his health intact. On a personal level you can’t blame him, but that isn’t what a true champion does.

However, Britain right now how two heavyweight prospects that will, in 2013, get serious world level recognition, they are of course David Price and Tyson Fury. Both fit the mould of a modern day heavyweight boxer with the former being 6 ft 8 and the latter being 6 ft 9.

In David Price you have one of the sport’s most destructive punchers, his power is right up there pound for pound with the best the sport has to offer. Not only does Price have sheer power but he also has very good punch variety; he can throw hooks, uppercuts, can ‘bang’ with either hand and also has a nice body shot that he tends to throw when his opponent is hurt and covering up.

Price’s problem is the element of the unknown about him because the level of competition he has faced off with thus far is nothing higher than domestic level. Boxing is all about levels after all. Another issue is whether Price’s chin can stand up to punishment. Price was stopped a couple of times in the amateurs including in a defeat to the puncher Bermane Stiverne. It is also rumoured that Fury dropped Price in an amateur bout. It is clear is that Price needs to step up his level of competition in 2013.

Also I did notice something interesting in his recent fight with Matt Skelton. Skelton is a decent inside fighter, and although on the surface this bout was a demolition job, Skelton did make things uncomfortable for Price on the inside. Skelton was able to get close to Price and actually land one or two clean power punches on Price’s chin, with Price looking confused as to how he should deal with his opponents inside game. This in my opinion does not bode well going into the future if Price is going to be matched with a strong inside fighter.

What about Fury?

For a long time I have been something of a Fury ‘hater’, I just could not see the talent, he looked sloppy, uncoordinated and unable to defend himself particularly well. This lead to embarrassing moments against the lightly regarded Neven Pajkic where Fury was dropped and hurt. However, Fury’s last fight against the formerly world ranked and former world title challenger Kevin Johnson forced me to review my opinion of Fury. Now this fight needs some context- Johnson took this fight on three weeks’ notice and was clearly out of shape. This aside what we saw from Fury was a very accomplished performance. Fury worked brilliantly behind the jab, a skill which is really a prerequisite nowadays in the heavyweight division. He also showed good hand speed and ability to put his punches together. Gone was the old, wild and sloppy Fury and in was a new, more polished and structured version.

Another thing that Fury has is a decent inside game, so much so that I think the outcome of a Price vs Fury match up is far from a foregone conclusion (assuming you’re a Price advocate). You have to ask, could Price tie up Tyson Fury when Fury gets close to him? Could Price’s chin handle Fury’s power? These are seriously big questions.

Rumour has it that Price and Fury are already in discussions about a purse for a prospective fight, I do not however think this fight will go through in 2013, I think both parties have far too much to lose. It’s often said that boxing is a game of snakes and ladders, with big snakes and particularly long ladders. The loser of the fight would fall to the bottom of the pile again, and a world title shot surely out of the picture for at least a year ot two. Fury, currently an interim WBC title hold would be well advised to purse that route. Especially given that Vitali Klitschko has had better days, and is likely to not be the WBC champion much longer due to his political aspirations. Thus Fury could find himself fighting for the vacated title against Chris Arreola or Bermane Stiverne. Price on the other hand would be well advised to get into a position to become one of Wladimir Klitschko’s mandatories. Wladimir is not a great inside fighter so Price would have at least a punchers chance in that one.

All that said, the British heavyweight boxing scene is about to get very interesting over the next year.

Who on earth is Carlos Molina?

Amazingly, the Amir Khan vs Carlos Molina fight is headlining this Saturday’s Showtime card.

Admittedly, when the fight was first made I thought to myself ‘wow, Khan is taking on the junior middleweight Carlos Molina, the guy who controversially lost to top JMW Erislandy Lara, Khan must be crazy’. However on closer inspection it turned out that Khan has being matched against the lightweight Carlos Molina.

So this begs the question, who on earth is Carlos Molina? Well the rational move is to ‘study the film’, you know, watch some of Molina’s fights online. However a casual search on youtube yields nothing, zilch, nadda. This forces us to become ‘boxerec warriors’ and make judgements based on what boxerec tells us. Well boxerec tells us that Molina is undefeated in 18 fights, winning 17 and drawing the other, boasting 7 knockouts and a KO ratio of around 39%. It also tells us that Molina holds some sort of WBO interim lightweight title.

Looking more closely one finds that Molina has only fought at the 140 limit once and that was a four round bout! So this guy is basically a career lightweight.

Despite this Molina is saying all the right things, he is promising to ‘shock the world’, to ‘end Khan’s career’ and to ‘go to war with Khan’. Everyone knows that Khan’s weakness is his willingness to go to war with his opponent and if need be, to go out on his shield rather than looking to fight smart and hold on when hurt. Also, we all know that Khan’s ability to take the punch is well, less than good, he is, quite frankly, a perennially prone to being knocked out.

So the question is, does Molina have the weapons to capitalise on Khan’s weakness? Well very few can say for sure because very few have actually seen Molina in action. Going by his record however suggests that this fight will be, what is called in professional wrestling, a ‘squash match’.

What about Khan?

Well for Khan fans the only interesting thing in this fight is how Khan looks under new trainer Virgil Hunter. Hunter of course rose to fame due to the success of the sports pound for pound best fighter right now Andre Ward (yeah I said it). The purpose of hiring Hunter is to make Khan more defensively sound in the ring and to install something like the same in ring IQ that Andre Ward possesses. The problem is that Khan does not possess anything like the skill set that Ward has, also, at Khan’s age, it is very unlikely that he can develop a quality defence.

I feel that the best Hunter can do is to make some minor defensive adjustments and to try, as best he can, to get Khan to fight smart, to use his range and speed from the outside and to refrain from getting into inside battles. This may work in the gym but what happens when Khan gets caught again? A leopard does not change its spots.

So a positive sign from Khan would be to resist the urge to destroy Molina in the first two rounds. Instead he should get a couple of rounds in the bank using whatever tactics Hunter has worked on with him, Khan needs to use this fight as more than just a tune up, he needs to use it as a dress rehearsal for how he will box in fights to come…

Dr.P

“A sensational, shocking, one punch knock out of a normally iron chinned, top notch fighter”

…is what Max Kellerman said after Sergio Martinez emphatically stopped Paul Williams in their second fight. I guess this comment is just as fitting for Marquez-Pacquiao 4.

This begs the question as to where Pacquiao goes from here? In the post-fight interview the prize fighter in Pacquiao was able to put the defeat into context, suggesting that he carelessly walked into a big punch and that he will be back. However word has it that both his wife Jinkee and his mother want him to retire, it has also been reported that Pacquiao was very hurt to learn about the reaction of his adoring fans in the Philippines. So whether we actually see him in the ring again is an open question.

Assuming the Pac-Man does return what can we expect? Firstly, many fans do not seem to realise that Pacquiao has been hurt badly before. In his first ever defeat Pacquiao suffered a heavy stoppage at the hands of Rustico Torrecampo. He was also knocked down very heavily by a little known Kazakhstani fighter by the name of Serikzhan Yeshmagambetov in 2003. So it is not as though Pacquiao hasn’t been stopped and knocked down before (the Mosley ‘knockdown’ hardly counts). I guess the shock factor is down to the fact that he has never been hurt this bad on American soil. Be as it may (in my Lederman voice), the very nature of the knockdown, coupled with Pacquiao’s age, tells your humble blogger that Pacquiao may never be able to take the punch well again. Pacquiao remember has a legendary chin, a chin that was celebrated for the amount of punishment it could absorb. This chin I fear is gone for good.

So Pacquiao needs to tread very, very carefully. The last time a top-notch-top-pound-for-pounder was stopped was eight years ago when Roy Jones Jr stepped in the ring to face Tarver for a second time. If Pacquiao doesn’t play his cards right the winter of his career could well take a similar trajectory to that of Jones. Jones of course, eager to get back into the ring, faced off against Glen Johnson just four months after Tarver stopped him. The result was that not only did Jones look a shell of his former self, but he suffered a second, heavy knockout. Simply put, Pacquiao needs to give himself ample recovery time, he needs a good six or so months of idle time in order to allow body and mind to recover. Then he should take on a tune up fight before considering top competition again.

There’s always a sense of shock and awe when a top prizefigher gets knocked out. This is because the air of invincibility that surrounded that fighter has been snatched and the audience is forced to make sense of how and why such a thing could happen. However this feeling is also coupled with a sense of excitement, deep down, many of us wanted it to happen, everyone likes to see Manchester United lose, or to use an American analogy, to see the Yankees lose (maybe I’m out of date on this one). Pacquiao has been the Yankees of boxing for a very long time, so it is only fitting that such a great offensive fighter who had the ability to mercilessly destroy that which was in front of him was taken out in such manner.

Dr P.