Amir Khan: A New Light Shines Through Britain’s Troubles.
| Frank Warren might be a comparative minnow in world boxing promotional terms, especially weighed against dinosaurs such as Don King and Bob Arum, but his tenure as England’s top promoter has been nothing if not eventful. He’s been shot, embroiled in more than a few legal proceedings and built the odd boxing legend in the process. Not your typical nine-to-five job. Through no shortage of personal |  © Mike Cleary |
effort and expense, it looks as if Warren has another star on his hands. The campaign to woo Amir Khan away from another Olympic journey and into the professional game meant indulgence of some rather over-zealous tactics. Warren latched on to a vulnerability of sorts in the eighteen-year-old Khan, that being his need for resolution in the wake of losing out on a lightweight Gold Medal in the 2004 Olympics. There are some things money cannot buy, except an impromptu exhibition between Khan and Mario Kindelan. Khan still earned the win, but Warren’s making it available was a powerful gesture and the satiation it gave the young fighter was instrumental in the acquisition of his signature.
England is a country that loves its boxing, but its amateur boxing establishment almost let Khan slip into Pakistan’s grasp. Subsequent to Khan’s success, that same establishment truly earned the amateur moniker by showing virtual indifference to Khan’s requests, making his dilemma of whether or not to stay another Olympic course that much easier to reconcile. Warren capitalized, and on Saturday July 16 in Bolton, England, four-and-a-half million viewers gave him a pat on the back for his troubles.
Warren will certainly glean immense pleasure in guiding Khan to glory, in stark contrast to the trail of Britain’s last Olympic medalist: Audley Harrison. Warren and Harrison publicized their mutual disdain in daily newspapers and to anyone within earshot. However, Warren can parade Khan to an ITV audience of millions, while Harrison, having made himself a main event attraction and bemusing BBC audiences and executives alike, must go about the bizarre task of resurrecting an as of yet unblemished professional career in the backwater of the American fight scene.
Gambles are paying off for Warren of late, notably his feeding of Ricky Hatton to Kostya Tszyu in which one of this year’s industry shockwaves saw Tszyu reduced to the role of sacrificial lamb. Khan’s progression depends on himself and the nature of Warren’s guidance, but a closer examination of the Bolton lad makes Warren’s task look like less of a plunge into the unknown. Boxing stars such as Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn carried the ITV network’s heyday, but it also screened our first glimpses of a certain “Prince†Naseem Hamed. While Khan cannot be the star of the show for now, there are several reasons as to why he will begin his career as an irreplaceable attraction on any fight card on which Warren and ITV collaborate.
An appalling standard saw Khan released into the 2004 Olympics as Britain’s only representative, but that solo effort garnered public sympathy and eventually hope, and in the end, sympathy, but a feeling of tangible endearment to the youngster who dared to carry the hopes of a nation alone and against all odds. As per his upbringing, Khan appears polite, humble, receptive to media responsibility and determined in his ambition to become a great fighter. Khan also seems to lack the superstar inclinations of his predecessor: the loquacious Hamed. Years of Hamed’s style without substance make Khan’s simpler, more respectful demeanor quite welcome.
Khan’s conscientiousness will also prove fundamental to his place in the affections of the British public. When the infamous events of September 11, 2001 occurred, high-profile Muslim fighters such as Hamed, Bernard Hopkins and Hasim Rahman remained silent. In the last two weeks, London suffered two horrific acts of terrorism and remains on full alert, and yet, Khan does not hide; he fights on and hesitates neither to reiterate his proud Muslim faith, nor to bathe himself in the colors of the Union Jack. It is important for young people experiencing such extreme difficulties to be able to draw on a positive influence, a visible inspiration to guide their minds away from ideologies of hate.
There is much to learn about Khan and the direction of world affairs, but for now, in his own brave way, being an important, guiding influence and when the time comes, to be the one to carry the British professional boxing industry, are responsibilities that he will not fail to undertake.
Contact Jim Cawkwell at jimcawkwell@yahoo.co.uk