England - Sorry, But You Aren’t Amir Khan’s Daddy(??)

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=7025&more=1

23.05.06 - Dan Scog: I want to see Amir Khan get creamed. KO’d. Not in a brutal style. Not in a merciless style. But in an embarrassing fashion. I’m thinking a first-round KO like the one we just saw Barrios do unto Nagy on the Barrera-Juarez undercard. Something that leaves the audience in silence, contemplating the money they paid for their seats.

Now for everyone reading this who isn’t living in the UK: meet Amir Khan. A good-looking nineteen-year-old who drives a car worth more money than most of us make in a year. At seventeen he won a lightweight silver medal for Britain in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Even though he vowed to bring Her Majesty a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he has since turned pro – and given one too many British boxing fans the idea that they should sit him up on their knee and advise him about his future. But what they should do is follow the rest of the world’s example: leave him alone and let him grow up.

Don’t get me wrong. I spent six months in London as a young child. My family considered moving there in the 1980’s and I’ve been exposed to all sorts of English culture throughout my life. In fact, I’m a huge fan of the BBC and like to think of myself as the go-to guy for the buzz in British boxing. The British…hell, they’re my family. So make no mistake: my wish for the brakes to be slammed on one of the most promising careers in boxing has nothing to do with nationalism. I’ve got other reasons - good reasons. But the elephant in the room has to be taken for a walk.

In truth, it’s hard not to sympathize with England – they had the last real dominant heavyweight champion, Lennox Lewis, outclassing everyone in the division and seemingly ushering in a new era. But now it turns out that this new era is a wave of non-British European champs and it has left the Union Jack salivating at the idea of birthing any extremely dominant fighter, even a lightweight. Hey, we understand. The champs giving up these belts like virginity on prom night are all from our side of the pond.

And yet, I wonder why so many English fans find it difficult to get behind Danny Williams, who is just beginning to enjoy a silver sunset to his career. Especially when the other options are Audley “Friday Night Fights” Harrison and Matt “Anything Goes” Skelton. But it’s true. I often find Danny Williams news buried under headlines about Amir Khan. I shudder to think what might happen if Williams KO’s Skelton in their rematch later this summer and the British press happen to find Amir Khan urinating in public on the same night. It might push poor Williams so far off the front of the page sports you’ll have to read about him in Arts & Leisure. Ah, but I guess that’s entirely another article or three.

Of course my point is simply that the hype behind Khan is just too much. He’s fought only seven times in his pro-career. Only three have been six-rounders. And all of them have starred hand-picked opponents so soft that you expect them to be poked in the stomach, giggle, and then leap onto a cookie sheet. And you can be sure that fights number eight, nine, and ten are coming to a ring near you very soon. Not because Amir is a young bundle of energy, but because his matchups have been more charity than challenge.

I know that boxing is a young man’s sport (and naturally why I always love to root for the older guy), but Khan’s career is ridiculous. Now, I wouldn’t have so much of a problem with it if Khan was a boxing prodigy like Mike Tyson – able to compete at the very top levels of the sport because of his talent. Tyson was indeed Khan’s age when his first championship reigns would begin. But therein lays the difference: Khan is being spoon-fed from the tomato can in hopes he’ll grow into a lightweight Floyd Mayweather Jr. At the same tender age as Khan, Tyson was already was a legitimate contender

In our increasingly hypercompetitive world, the question “How soon is too soon?” is always a part of most professional sports. But it’s one thing to see a young kid knocking the crowns from the kings and quite another to see him cashing million-dollar checks from Reebok for beating up on competition composed of has-beens and never-weres. He’s young, pretty, and fast, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s also been a bully.

If he’s a real champion then he won’t need gimme fights and he’ll also overcome any setbacks he suffers in his early career. There’s no need to coddle him. Right now, he’s like a lottery ticket and it seems like most of Britain (especially his handlers and the press) would rather not peek at winning numbers – for fear he won’t turn out to be the grand prize. Sure, it’s nice to have hope spring eternal, but waiting to ask the question won’t change the answer. If you want the rest of the world to believe the Khan hype – then it’s time to give him a real fight. Until then, no more pictures of his winning smile on the front of the sports page, OK? My friends at BBC Sport…I’m looking at you.


I do think the boy i getting too big for his boots.

He's had 7 fights and went ahead and called out Floyd Mayweather Jr. for a 4 round fight....nah he has to be

"THE HUMBLEST MAN IN THE WORLD!"

I can't stand him already

Hmm the guy could be the stupidest boxer in the world. I know hes had 7 fights but he should know better then to call out the number one pound for pound boxer in the world...that really makes him sound very cocky and stupid.

what a load of bollocks. for a start lennox lewis is about as english as the twat who wrote that shit (oh i went to england once i'm a bit british). and lewis was never excepted by the public the way that bruno was (who is british) or even like danny williams has been. he has got quite a large fan base in england considering the popularity of the sport not being what it was and the fact that the interest in the heavy weights has nearly dissapeared.
and on to amir. yes he won silver. but lets not forget that before he turned pro he beat convinsingly beat mario cinderlan in his last fight as an amateur. cinderlan was the cuban fella who got gold and beat khan twice before and was also considered as the best amateur boxer around.
and amir has only had 7 fights as a pro and every time the opponents have been getting better and more experienced. we could throw him in the deep end and put him against a contender with 30 odd fights under his belt couldnt we. but it would make far more sense to take it slow and let him gain the experience he needs to win a tittle. he's only been a pro for about a year for fuck sake.

all amir did was mention mayweather's name as someone he would like to fight in the future. he's not stupid. everyone has to go on ahead and make assumptions and judge though don't they.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lyle

He's had 7 fights and went ahead and called out Floyd Mayweather Jr. for a 4 round fight....nah he has to be

"THE HUMBLEST MAN IN THE WORLD!"

I can't stand him already

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That was a joke!

He aint like that at all, he's a really nice down to earth unaffected Kid, people are just trying to ruin him as they always do!!

....I still don't like him, don't take my reasons away from me!

I agree in part here He's still young, but is he beginning to believe his own hype.

I really think a knockdown (or a few scary hang on momemnts), that he gets through and comes back to win I hasten to add, will do him good - and preferably soon. I said this before his first fight.

We don't want another Hamed story on our hands

He'll be doing well if he can match Hameds achivements.

People really shouldn't so readily believe everything they see, hear and read in the media you know. It's not a coincidence these stories like the Mayweather one appear in the run up to fights ;)


As for that Eastside article its totally embarrassing ::**

amir is completely different from Naz in terms of boxing

Im surprised Emma hasnt posted on this,
she has gone off him big time.

Im from ireland and we get alot of british TV. When he was fighting in the Olympics I couldnt believe the hype that surrounded this kid but I never took anything away from him.

I knows he is still fairly new but I dont see him showing the potential for the Repetation he has.

Is it me lately that he seems to be getting very cocky and believing the Hype

this was the downfall of Naz

I refer really to the cocky manner that makes it difficult for him to come back should he suffer a defeat. OK , I hope he doesn't but am sure you know what I mean

well from the interviews that his done on TV -he doesnt seem cocky to me

Let me touch on this one thing...

Boxing is first & foremost entertainment.

Sure it's a sport...but a lightly regarded one of late...only the core fans truly maintain the respect of it as a sport...the rest of the world see's it as...god only knows what.

Tyson was a smart boxer...he was an ignorant human being...but he used that & he sold it to us as a performer alongside being a boxer...& it worked! Sensationalism sells & most fighters are fighting/boxing for notoriety...recognition.

How better to get noticed than to call out Mayweather? How better to get the fringe fans to see what this Amir Kahn myth is than to call out the best in the world?

Come on people...the kid's young & he's smart...he's also realized that he's got to be an entertainer also.

Nothing wrong with what he said...but Floyd would kill his ass. ;D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wacko3205

Let me touch on this one thing...

Boxing is first & foremost entertainment.

Sure it's a sport...but a lightly regarded one of late...only the core fans truly maintain the respect of it as a sport...the rest of the world see's it as...god only knows what.

Tyson was a smart boxer...he was an ignorant human being...but he used that & he sold it to us as a performer alongside being a boxer...& it worked! Sensationalism sells & most fighters are fighting/boxing for notoriety...recognition.

How better to get noticed than to call out Mayweather? How better to get the fringe fans to see what this Amir Kahn myth is than to call out the best in the world?

Come on people...the kid's young & he's smart...he's also realized that he's got to be an entertainer also.

Nothing wrong with what he said...but Floyd would kill his ass. ;D

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What kind of fight are we talking about here wacko ;D