Thread: Lightweight RBR Double-Header - Thaxton / Khan

Ok guys, we've not had too much going on in British boxing over the past couple of weeks, and when there has been I've been working late shifts so I wasn't able to RBR them, but this weekend I finish at 4.30pm and am all free till Monday. A rare luxury since I told my boss I'm skint and need the overtime....

Anyhow, first up on Friday we have Jon Thaxton in the biggest fight of his career for the European title against Yuri Romanov. On Saturday we have Thaxton's long-time verbal sparring partner Amir Khan in a WBO Lightweight Title eliminator against Martin Kristijansen.

So firstly, Yuri Romanov (20-2, 13KOs) is travelling to the East End of London to make the third defence of his European title, and will probably look for a better result than in his last visit in 2006, where he was beaten by Graham Earl narrowly. After two fights in his homeland of Belarus, the orthodox 25-year old will be a hard-hitting opponent to one of the biggest British hitters, Jon Thaxton.

Thaxton (33-7, 18KOs) will be the underdog for this one, with the domestic rivalry between him and Khan undermining the media coverage, and possibly his own preparations for this clash. Eight years, and eighteen fights the senior of Romanov, Thaxton is a banger himself, and is well known for bringing bucketfuls of heart and guts to his bouts, though perhaps not the slickest boxer of all. Although the underdog, Thaxton will have a good following behind him, and will hopefully have brought down plenty of fans from Norfolk to the East end, and can put in a good shift to claim the European title, to further tempt Amir Khan.

And on Saturday night, we have the most-hyped lightweight in Britain, Frank Warren's golden boy Amir Khan facing the opponent he was originally slated to meet back in February, Martin Kristijansen.

Khan (16-0, 12KOs) showed last time out that he could outbox, and outwork a fighter who has performed and won on world title level against late replacement Gairy St Clair, and will have further boosted his confidence going into this WBO title eliminator. The Bolton slickster has been becoming stronger and stronger as a lightweight, and has shown good quality recently since his only major scare against Willie Limond. Whilst the doubts still linger about Khan's chin, it shouldn't be a problem in this fight, with Kristijansen not packing an obvious punch. Khan is a massive favourite to win this bout, and get to be the mandatory for the WBO title, currently held by unified champ Nate Campbell.

Martin Kristjansen (19-1-3, 5KOs) is the more unheralded and huge underdog for this bout, and with only 5KOs will have to spring a huge surprise in order to even trouble Khan, whose chin seems to be the sole weakness in the Olympic medallists' armoury so far. Kristijansen has challenged for the European title, travelling to Italy to lose on points to Stefano Zoff, and also has draws in his homeland, which cast further doubt on his record. However, he'll have a puncher's chance, and if he can upset the Khan bandwagon, it will be a huge feather for his cap, and a massive shock.

This qualifies as an good thread I hope, you have been repped.

I think Thaxton has a great chance to win that fight, I would almost make it a pick-em fight. Romanov is a bit of an unknown to me but looking at his record off boxrec, its pretty padded and the loss to Earl doesn't scream dangerous.

Think Romanov will win. The first time I saw Thaxton was against Hatton, and Hatton battered him but couldn't put him down. After that, I decided that Thaxton would never be knocked out. He is so tough. Just think Romanov will be too sharp for him. As for Khan, I wasn't a fan originally, but I think he might be special.

The Thaxton fight should be interesting. Personally I imagine he'll get beat, probably over 12 rounds.

Don't know anything whatsoever about Kristjansen but I'll go with a comfortable Khan win, although if this kid is a decent boxer Khan may be happy to take it the distance

I saw the title and I actually thought that Thaxton v Kahn had been made.
How and ever, I feel this weekend should show u success for the two Brits. Kahn was actuallyin negotiations with Romanov elate last year and also before the St. Clair fight.
Thaxton and Kahn swimming in the same circles.

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

I saw the title and I actually thought that Thaxton v Kahn had been made.
How and ever, I feel this weekend should show u success for the two Brits. Kahn was actuallyin negotiations with Romanov elate last year and also before the St. Clair fight.
Thaxton and Kahn swimming in the same circles.

Looks like Kahn has Ricky Hatton syndrome in that he says he wont fight Thaxton cuz he doesnt want to give him a payday . Is this where the sport is heading ? Fighters that dislike each other wont fight cuz they think they are in a better financial and marketing position . Hatton and Kahn are two of our most high profile fighters yet neither seem to have a true fighters mentality it seems .

Originally Posted by GAME

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

I saw the title and I actually thought that Thaxton v Kahn had been made.
How and ever, I feel this weekend should show u success for the two Brits. Kahn was actuallyin negotiations with Romanov elate last year and also before the St. Clair fight.
Thaxton and Kahn swimming in the same circles.

Looks like Kahn has Ricky Hatton syndrome in that he says he wont fight Thaxton cuz he doesnt want to give him a payday . Is this where the sport is heading ? Fighters that dislike each other wont fight cuz they think they are in a better financial and marketing position . Hatton and Kahn are two of our most high profile fighters yet neither seem to have a true fighters mentality it seems .

Well, if thats what they choose can we fault them.

As Kahn continues to progress through the ranks he becomes more convincing. He seems to be growing as a fighter with each fight,
At this rate I believe that Tahxton's legacy will be dwarfed by that of Kahn's in Ten Years time.
If Kahn can forge a legacy and become good or even great without Thaxton is that an issue?
1) Why are we so keen to fight our domestic prospects off against each other? Isn't this limiting the amount of fighters that represent us on the world stage?
2)Doesn't it stand testament to Kahn that already in his career he is compared and rivalled with Thaxton who is pretty seasoned?

As for Ricky, well I don't think anybody can legitimately question his fighters heart and mentality. In eleven rounds at the Manchester MEN arena he proved that he not only has the heart, but also the mentality to compete and beat the best in the world.
In refusing to fight Witter, how is he damaging Witter? There are plenty of opponents out there who Witter can use to solidify his status.
Yet if they face each other, instead of having 2 world champs Britain will have only 1.

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

Originally Posted by GAME

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

I saw the title and I actually thought that Thaxton v Kahn had been made.
How and ever, I feel this weekend should show u success for the two Brits. Kahn was actuallyin negotiations with Romanov elate last year and also before the St. Clair fight.
Thaxton and Kahn swimming in the same circles.

Looks like Kahn has Ricky Hatton syndrome in that he says he wont fight Thaxton cuz he doesnt want to give him a payday . Is this where the sport is heading ? Fighters that dislike each other wont fight cuz they think they are in a better financial and marketing position . Hatton and Kahn are two of our most high profile fighters yet neither seem to have a true fighters mentality it seems .

Well, if thats what they choose can we fault them.

As Kahn continues to progress through the ranks he becomes more convincing. He seems to be growing as a fighter with each fight,
At this rate I believe that Tahxton's legacy will be dwarfed by that of Kahn's in Ten Years time.
If Kahn can forge a legacy and become good or even great without Thaxton is that an issue?
1) Why are we so keen to fight our domestic prospects off against each other? Isn't this limiting the amount of fighters that represent us on the world stage?
2)Doesn't it stand testament to Kahn that already in his career he is compared and rivalled with Thaxton who is pretty seasoned?

As for Ricky, well I don't think anybody can legitimately question his fighters heart and mentality. In eleven rounds at the Manchester MEN arena he proved that he not only has the heart, but also the mentality to compete and beat the best in the world.
In refusing to fight Witter, how is he damaging Witter? There are plenty of opponents out there who Witter can use to solidify his status.
Yet if they face each other, instead of having 2 world champs Britain will have only 1.

Good points but the way I see it is that if a fight should be made then it should be made.

Its right tha Kahn and Thaxton meet at this point . If it cant be made or Kahn doesnt think it is teh right route for him the fair enough but thats not what he is saying . He recognises that its the locigal next step for him but he says he doesnt want to give Thaxton a payday . That to me is spite that cannot be settled in the ring and shows a certain degree of arrogance . I dont respect Kahn for that

The Hatton situation is similar in that Hatton and Witter are both Brits, both rivals , ones coming off a K.O loss the other is offering a chance at his WBC title . You would have thought this fight would be a natural but Hattons taking advantage of his position by not giving the public what they want . You cant show me 1 person who would rather see Lazacano fight Hatton than Junior . Why did Ricky prefer to fight Pederson when Pinto pulled out instead of Jnr . IMO its killing boxing that fighters would rather have facile fights than make the real fights that people want to see happen .

I respect Hatton but I dont think he has teh fight fans best interests at heart and its his fans that have supported him throughout his career cuz would Floyd have given him that opportunity if he didnt have his fanbase ? I doubt it . Boxing is a business also so I can understand that he wants to do whats best for him first and foremost but in that case how can he justify fighting guys like Lazacano when better fighters are offering him a shot at the title .

Just an opinion .

Originally Posted by GAME

Good points but the way I see it is that if a fight should be made then it should be made.

Its right tha Kahn and Thaxton meet at this point . If it cant be made or Kahn doesnt think it is teh right route for him the fair enough but thats not what he is saying . He recognises that its the locigal next step for him but he says he doesnt want to give Thaxton a payday . That to me is spite that cannot be settled in the ring and shows a certain degree of arrogance . I dont respect Kahn for that .

The reality is; Tahxton is the biggest threat to Kahn in Britain.
I don't believe that any fighter would realistically say "I won't fight him because he's an unnecessary threat at this stage." Particulary Kahn who is bordering on arrogant at the moment.
It is a possibility that Kahn feels Tahxton will take some preparing for and is holding out until they feel he is fully ready. Yet he will never back down and admit to such. Human nature I guess.

Originally Posted by GAME

The Hatton situation is similar in that Hatton and Witter are both Brits, both rivals , ones coming off a K.O loss the other is offering a chance at his WBC title . You would have thought this fight would be a natural but Hattons taking advantage of his position by not giving the public what they want . You cant show me 1 person who would rather see Lazacano fight Hatton than Junior . Why did Ricky prefer to fight Pederson when Pinto pulled out instead of Jnr . IMO its killing boxing that fighters would rather have facile fights than make the real fights that people want to see happen . .

It does seem an extremely natural fight to be made. It's enhanced by Witter now gaining recognition and grabbing himself a strap. But time will improve this situation even further if Witter is patient and allows Hatton time to gain a strap too. In doing so, the money generated for bothe fighters will be considerably more than generated previously. America has little interest in two English guys going at it. But when it's two world cahmps they're forced to wtch aren't they?

Originally Posted by GAME

I respect Hatton but I dont think he has teh fight fans best interests at heart and its his fans that have supported him throughout his career cuz would Floyd have given him that opportunity if he didnt have his fanbase ? I doubt it . Boxing is a business also so I can understand that he wants to do whats best for him first and foremost but in that case how can he justify fighting guys like Lazacano when better fighters are offering him a shot at the title .
Just an opinion .

The Lazcano fight is essentially a confidence booster.
After the Floyd fight Ricky was shattered, he thoroughly believed he could beat Floyd and when he lost it nearly broke him.
Were Hatton to jump in and fight Witter he would have been in danger of an unwarranted loss as his confidence would have been at canvas level.
#After Lazcano (assuming Ricky DOMINATES him) the Hitman should be back on form and ready to forge onward (I suspect against Malignaggi.)
That should set the division up nicely for a massive unification.

Great debate./

The reality is; Tahxton is the biggest threat to Kahn in Britain.
I don't believe that any fighter would realistically say "I won't fight him because he's an unnecessary threat at this stage." Particulary Kahn who is bordering on arrogant at the moment.
It is a possibility that Kahn feels Tahxton will take some preparing for and is holding out until they feel he is fully ready. Yet he will never back down and admit to such. Human nature I guess.

If thats the case I would personally prefer him to come oy and say that instead of disguising it with trash talk . But he is an arrogant bloke and I suppose he is more comfortable dealing with it his own way

.
It does seem an extremely natural fight to be made. It's enhanced by Witter now gaining recognition and grabbing himself a strap. But time will improve this situation even further if Witter is patient and allows Hatton time to gain a strap too. In doing so, the money generated for bothe fighters will be considerably more than generated previously. America has little interest in two English guys going at it. But when it's two world cahmps they're forced to wtch aren't they?

You probably know more about it than me but is my understanding that Hatton intends never to fight Witter. If he is avoiding him purley to build up the fight so it gets even bigger then its a totally acceptable but I dont think it is . Ive met Ricky and thought he was a top bloke so its with a certain degree of guilty that I say this but as I fight fan I wana see the best fights happen and as this one isnt happening I have to point the finger at the guy who doesnt want to make it happen for whatever reason . Imagine if Eubank never fought Benn and said its cuz I didnt like him . People would have viewed him as a coward . The only way Hatton could justify his current position in not fighting Witter would be by fighting better opposition, not guys like Lazcano

The Lazcano fight is essentially a confidence booster.
After the Floyd fight Ricky was shattered, he thoroughly believed he could beat Floyd and when he lost it nearly broke him.
Were Hatton to jump in and fight Witter he would have been in danger of an unwarranted loss as his confidence would have been at canvas level.
#After Lazcano (assuming Ricky DOMINATES him) the Hitman should be back on form and ready to forge onward (I suspect against Malignaggi.)
That should set the division up nicely for a massive unification.

Great debate

The home coming would have a greater atmos if it was Witter for the WBC title IMO . He doesnt have to worry about Americans etc as Im sure they would prefer it was Witter instead of Lazacao . They may even view it as a bigger money spinner than Hatton - Malignaggi . It would be a tremendous shame if these two never met and Hatton retired b4 it could be made . Im not even convinced Witter would win I just want to see him get his chance cuz he deserves it . Nobody would argue if Hatton never fought Rees cuz that guy didnt deserve it . Witter does and may be a favourite cuz he wants the fight.

I remember a member here called Mikkel_K, telling me that he has seen Khan's opponent fight a few times and he is quite good, i haven't seen him myself so i can't comment. But it could be interesting.

[quote=GAME;491929]
If thats the case I would personally prefer him to come oy and say that instead of disguising it with trash talk . But he is an arrogant bloke and I suppose he is more comfortable dealing with it his own way
[quote]
Yeah, thats understandable, but as I said there aren't many who would come right out and say it. Kahn's young, undefeated and a massive prospect, he's too proud to acknowledge the threat of a guy who's been beaten 4 times and not thratened world level opposition.

Originally Posted by GAME

The home coming would have a greater atmos if it was Witter for the WBC title IMO . He doesnt have to worry about Americans etc as Im sure they would prefer it was Witter instead of Lazacao . They may even view it as a bigger money spinner than Hatton - Malignaggi . It would be a tremendous shame if these two never met and Hatton retired b4 it could be made . Im not even convinced Witter would win I just want to see him get his chance cuz he deserves it . Nobody would argue if Hatton never fought Rees cuz that guy didnt deserve it . Witter does and may be a favourite cuz he wants the fight.

I'm near certain that it will happen. It's just a matter of time I think.

Originally Posted by ICB

I remember a member here called Mikkel_K, telling me that he has seen Khan's opponent fight a few times and he is quite good, i haven't seen him myself so i can't comment. But it could be interesting.

Kristjansen was a great amateur and a nice clean pro so far.
He lacks po, but he's skilled and like I said a clean boxer.