Khan derailed – Echoes of the Prince ?
Now that the dust has settled following Amir Khans devastating defeat at the fists of Breidel Prescott I find myself pondering not only why the defeat came about but also the manner in which it was greeted by British fight fans and some worrying similarities with another fallen British Icon in Prince Naseem Hamed.
Khan returned in glory from the 2004 Olympics as the only representative of Britain with a silver medal after losing against a great Cuban fighter in Kindelan. Khan’s losing effort and his down to earth boy next door charm made him an instant household name not only amongst fight fans but amongst the general pubic. His amateur fanfare and pathway to the pro ranks by beating Kindelan in a highly publicised and eagerly watched televised fight saw him outclass the Cuban. This set him up as the latest British fighter to hold the hopes of a nation on his shoulders much the same as Benn, Eubank, Hamed and Lewis to name but a few before him.
Khan’s early pro outings displayed a style based on speed and reflex (Echoes of Hamed dancing his way through his early fights) although without the frightening power the Prince was blessed with. A speeding associated incident sees Khan on the wrong side of the law (Echoes of Hameds frequent and eventually serious speeding incidents ?) but little is made of it and the journey of the likeable Khan roles on,
Fast forward a few fights and Khan is dropped by relatively light punching Willie Limond. Khan to his credit shows he has heart by getting up to hurt and finish Limond. The warning signs though are posted at this early stage. (Echoes of Naseem being dropped by Daniel Alicea at the Newcastle Arena before coming back to stop his opponent ?)
Fast forward again and Khan is facing Michael Gomez.. A seasoned and experienced campaigner who everyone knew would give 100% for 5 to 6 rounds. Almost the ideal opponent for Amir to show how far he has developed and back up the shouts for a world title fight. Khan though is dropped and hurt to the body on a number of occasions. Questions are again raised about his chin but there is no doubting his heart.
Khan then parts company with his trainer and hires Cuban Jorge Rubio (Echoes of Hamed parting company with Ingle ?). In his first fight with a new trainer questionable match making sees Khan to fight a relatively unknown but reported puncher by the name of Prescott.
Khan has by now signed a deal with Sky for his fights to be shown as Pay per View. (Echoes of Hamed, Benn, Eubank and Hatton !!!). Fans quite rightly feel betrayed that they are deprived of seeing a British prospect on ‘free’ TV. With similar outrage being voiced over Setanta’s exclusive coverage of the Croatia V England World Cup qualifier there is clearly an issue but that is another debate.
Khan comes out for the first round and is apparently caught cold by Prescott and is dropped by the first decent two punches that are landed. Khan again shows heart but perhaps not ring savvy by getting to his feet as soon as he can. Still partly removed from his senses he can do nothing as Prescott follows up to win the fight by devastating KO.
Forget the excuse rolled out about being caught cold. Khan is now a professional fighter with a professional trainer and team behind him. To get caught cold at this level is inexcusable. The talk of Khan being within one fight of a world title is exposed as being ridiculously premature. It suggests that Khan has started to believe his own hype (Echoes of Hameds ‘I will never lose boasts?) and expected to walk out and blow away his opponent without the need for a game plan..
In Amir’s defence the weight of expectation and the rush to get him to world title contention must have been almost crushing. Be totally honest – if you were an unbeaten 21 year old Olympic Silver Medallist having extortionate amounts of money and attention thrown at you would you find it hard to keep your feet on the ground and your head out of the clouds ?
Khan was in a no win situation in some ways. I’m generalising to a certain extent but the British public are renowned for supporting the gallant loser (Bruno being the ultimate example in boxing). Had Khan embarked on 25 fight unbeaten run would the fans have stayed behind him or labelled him as a cocky kid and started to want him to lose (Echoes of Hameds relationship with the fans?). We saw with Eubank as the prime example that when a fighter demonstrates the essential quality of arrogance needed to be a winner that the British fan loved to hate him. It was only after Eubank started to lose that the fans started to cheer the Brighton fighter. The jeers and celebration by British fans that Khan’s loss was greeted with would surely not be copied by any other nation in the world.
Khan’s association with Frank Warren (the promoter fans also love to hate) does not help but then can you blame Khan for that association? As with any fighter Amir’s career could be ended in a second by one punch. Is he wrong to sign with Warren for the most money or agree a pay per view deal on Sky that guarantees his future financially?
Khan is an undoubtedly talented young British fighter but he has chosen a path that has led to a crushing defeat early in his career. As a nation we should be feeling sympathy for his loss and rallying behind his recuperation. Praying that he has learned a hard lesson that will bring him back to basics. Should Khan learn from his mistakes and come back it would be a travesty for the British public not to get behind him and hope that he full fills the promise his talent dictates. If Khan does not learn from his mistakes then I fear his path may lead him down the same road as Naseem who never quite lived up to the hype.
I for one will be watching and cheering for the down to earth Bolton fighter as he starts the long road back…
'To speak with his equal and irish man is forced to talk with God...'
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Originally Posted by piye
Okay go back and read it again... the comparison I'm making is not as a fighter it's as a person.
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