Barrera vs Khan - Adam Smith / Sky Blog

Yeah I know another bleedin' thread. Go read


Barrera

Sky Sports | Blogs | Adam Smith | Living with a legend


"The talk, based largely on internet evidence, suggested that Barrera may not be fit enough, or in the right frame of mind to deal with a young, hungry, ambitious and fast lightweight such as 22-year-old Khan. I was keen to see Barrera myself to assess his condition, examine his cut, and ask him about his remaining ambition.......


Khan

Sky Sports | Blogs | Adam Smith | Hollywood or bust


"Roach told me: "Amir is the quickest lightweight I have ever seen. Quicker than Manny. He's unbelievable."
Khan's conditioning coach Alex Ariza added: "He's the best athlete I have worked with since the late, great Diego Corrales. The kid is just exceptional.........

The thing with Khan is, and I was a semi-fan of his (well his skill) is that he does have incredibly fast hands. And he does have good footwork, and he is mobile as hell and all of that could in fact be nurtured into a world champion of merit.

But then, you watch him get hit and I swear, he hits the canvas so hard and FAST, it almost defies the laws of gravity.

A person can work on a lot of things, but I do not think they can grow a chin. I wouldn't even mind if I am wrong on this, because I do, and would like to see his skills come to fruition, whether I like his personality or not.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Youngblood

The thing with Khan is, and I was a semi-fan of his (well his skill) is that he does have incredibly fast hands. And he does have good footwork, and he is mobile as hell and all of that could in fact be nurtured into a world champion of merit.

But then, you watch him get hit and I swear, he hits the canvas so hard and FAST, it almost defies the laws of gravity.

A person can work on a lot of things, but I do not think they can grow a chin. I wouldn't even mind if I am wrong on this, because I do, and would like to see his skills come to fruition, whether I like his personality or not.

---

I agree with you to a point, but I also think part of the problem is how his body was structured before. He had much too much of his body mass on the top half of his body. They were basically making him look good for the casual fan rather than for boxing. One of the main things I've noticed Roach has done is restructure him. I also think he may be a bit weight-drained as he is still fighting at a weight that suited him when he was 17, but in the 5 years since, I think it would have been better to take him up to light-welter. Not only is it a weaker division than 135, but his speed would have greater effect there. However, this is not saying I think he has even a decent chin, but I suspect the way he was training was not helping him. Have to say I'm excited about this fight now though ;D

great read and find Missy
MAB my hero :cool:

Two great articles there, nice insight into both fighters.

I've said on here before how I don't understand why Khan gets so much hate. Khan himself seems a really nice kid, if a little naive.

I'm genuinely concerned for him agaisnt MAB though. I had half assumed MAB took the fight for money, then I heard about his desire to be a 4 time champ etc and now that article. He's definitely not in this for the $$$'s.

I trust in Roach's judgement but Khan's chin, or lack of it is just plain scary. It's a shame really, it's almost irrelevant how talented a boxer he is if he has no punch resistance.