Comments Thread For: Khan vs. Maidana Deal Announced By The WBA

[alembic]

Dangerous fight for Khan! but very winable and even if Khan wins it easy he wont get credit from most. Its an uphill struggle for Khan to win the hearts and minds of most.

If he sticks and jabs all night and coasts to a UD, then, no, his stock won't rise much (although he'll get some props for fighting a strong puncher). But if he stops Maidana, that would be impressive, at least for me.

[Dave Rado]

I know in the past he would throw the gameplan out the window and start brawling, I guess almost getting flatlined recently changed that quick since he got that suspect chin .maybe with roach as his trainer he will keep the fight on the outside and box, or will maidana force the action And make khan brawl like in the past.we'll find out.

Khan proved against Kotelnik that he can stick to a gameplan. The moment of truth will come when he gets hit flush by Maidana, though, because that is bound to happen at some point, and he hasn't faced a big puncher since Prescott (and Maidana is a much more effective pressure fighter than Prescott). But I'm certain he won't brawl.

[Dave Rado]

If he sticks and jabs all night and coasts to a UD, then, no, his stock won't rise much.

Why not? That's how Ali beat Liston. That's how Leonard beat Duran. That's how boxers usually beat pressure fighters who can punch. I'm not comparing Khan or Maidana with those fighters, I'm just talking about the principle of the thing. Maidana is a hugely dangerous opponent for anyone, despite his limitations; and Khan would be an absolute fool to go for the knock-out in this fight. If a knock-out comes, that's different, but he won't go for one, and he shouldn't be expected to.

He won't just jab, though - he'll throw a lot of combinations - but he won't trade.

[the mesiah]

Khan proved against Kotelnik that he can stick to a gameplan. The moment of truth will come when he gets hit flush by Maidana, though, because that is bound to happen at some point, and he hasn't faced a big puncher since Prescott (and Maidana is a much more effective pressure fighter than Prescott). But I'm certain he won't brawl.

I was referring to the Harrison trained khan , for the first what 16-17 fights , of course now roach won't let him brawl and get off the gameplan.not such the case in the early going ..

[Dave Rado]

I was referring to the Harrison trained khan , for the first what 16-17 fights , of course now roach won't let him brawl and get off the gameplan.not such the case in the early going ..

The Roach-trained Khan is unrecognisable as the same fighter that he was before they teamed up. Prior to teaming up with Roach, Khan was amateurish, had poor balance, he lunged and threw wildly, he didn't use his jab properly, his footwork was poor, he never clinched effectively when hurt, he left his chin hanging out, he didn't know how to block punches and kept his hands too low - in short, he had never been taught the fundamentals of the professional game. All these flaws have been at least partially rectified under Roach. Warren deserves a lot of the blame for allowing Khan to be trained so badly for so long - it should have been obvious to him as early as the Limond fight that with his undoubted talent but his obvious and very serious flaws, he needed and deserved a far better trainer.

[alembic]

Why not? That's how Ali beat Liston. That's how Leonard beat Duran. That's how boxers usually beat pressure fighters who can punch. I'm not comparing Khan or Maidana with those fighters, I'm just talking about the principle of the thing. Maidana is a hugely dangerous opponent for anyone, despite his limitations; and Khan would be an absolute fool to go for the knock-out in this fight. If a knock-out comes, that's different, but he won't go for one, and he shouldn't be expected to.

He won't just jab, though - he'll throw a lot of combinations - but he won't trade.

My rational is this: Let's say Khan stays outside and jabs all night to a UD. Or he fights in the pocket at opportune moments to dish out effective combinations and hurts Maidana a few times during the fight. IMO the latter approach garners more fans for Khan. So I'm glad you added the last sentence in your post.

While I can appreciate pure boxing skills, I gave Leonard more credit for barely losing his first fight with Duran because he went toe to toe with the Panamanian. Not the safest approach given his superior skills but most fans appreciate fighters who take greater risks.

[Dave Rado]

My rational is this: Let's say Khan stays outside and jabs all night to a UD. Or he fights in the pocket at opportune moments to dish out effective combinations and hurts Maidana a few times during the fight. IMO the latter approach garners more fans for Khan. So I'm glad you added the last sentence in your post.

While I can appreciate pure boxing skills, I gave Leonard more credit for barely losing his first fight with Duran because he went toe to toe with the Panamanian. Not the safest approach given his superior skills but most fans appreciate fighters who take greater risks.

I doubt he'll fight in the pocket much, although he may a little, as Roach says that fighting in the pocket is something they've been working on. But it's not something he's learnt to do effectively up to now, and this would not be the best fight for him to spend much time trying out a new skill. But he won't just fight on the outside either, and he certainly won't rely solely on his jab. He'll move laterally and dart in and out, trying to throw quick combinations and get out of range before Maidana can counter. And if he can get a UD doing that, that would be fine with me.

Khan doesn't have Leonard's chin, and against someone like Maidana, at this stage of Khan's career, the most important thing is to win. And he can be exciting without fighting in the pocket, as long as he throws combinations. Just the fact that he has a weak chin, and Maidana has a big punch, and is an effective pressure fighter, will make it exciting anyway, because however easily he may appear to be winning, everyone will be aware that Maidana could get a knock-out at any moment if Khan loses concentration even for a second. The late rounds especially, because Khan seemed to tire towards the end against Kotelnik, and there is a big question mark about whether his stamina can hold up against a genuine big punching pressure fighter.

And although Leonard-Duran I was thrilling, I think Leonard would have had almost as many fans if he'd fought the first fight the way he fought the second. In the second, he put on an absolute master-class, and his status soared.

[tito_bandito]

Khan will get KO'd by the 8th round even if he manages to dodge shots his chin is awful...Khan cant knock maidana out unless he tires him in the later rounds but maidana will take khans punches and fight dirty on the inside...Khan is gonna get worked! Lol

[alembic]

@Dave - let me put it another way. Khan gets more credit from me for defending his belt against Maidana than fighting Malignaggi who's not a dangerous puncher.

By the time Leonard fought Duran in Montreal, he was already a superstar. But for me his status really soared after his TKO of Tommy Hearns. He dug deep to beat someone who was just as slick with devastating power.

[The_Demon]

Khan will get KO'd by the 8th round even if he manages to dodge shots his chin is awful...Khan cant knock maidana out unless he tires him in the later rounds but maidana will take khans punches and fight dirty on the inside...Khan is gonna get worked! Lol

na,khan will prove his heart and not quit like a *****