Good thread, but I respectfully disagree and it's not because I'm a Khan fan.
Maidana simply won't land enough power shots to take out Khan. I won't rule out him staggering Khan and I won't rule out him putting Khan on his ass, but it's highly unlikely that he'll stop Khan. Roach realises that you can't improve a chin, but he also realises that you can improve everything else around it and he has done an excellent job based on the fights I've seen. Roach and Ariza took four steps that will negate Khan's weak chin:
1.: Roach moved Khan up in weight, which was sensible as it made making the weight a lot easier and took away any weight-drain concerns.
2.: Roach and Ariza re-sculpted Khan physically to give him extra leg and core mass, cutting useless upper body muscle. That extra leg and core strength will not help how Khan takes a punch, but will help how he recovers from a punch - meaning he will be less likely to go down and more likely to just be staggered.
3.: Roach improved Khan's defence, teaching him the basics of keeping his hands up and fighting out of a mobile shell.
4.: Roach changed Khan's fighting philosophy. Khan is no longer a naive fighter wading into close quarters assuming his superior physical abilities and technical skill will prevai. Khan now fights to his strengths, using a long and stiff jab to keep distance and picking his shots carefully.
Maidana will find it very hard to land enough flush shots and will eat a lot himself while trying to do so, meaning he'll have a puncher's chance at best. I'm happy to bet with anyone who disagrees.
Maidana simply won't land enough power shots to take out Khan. I won't rule out him staggering Khan and I won't rule out him putting Khan on his ass, but it's highly unlikely that he'll stop Khan. Roach realises that you can't improve a chin, but he also realises that you can improve everything else around it and he has done an excellent job based on the fights I've seen. Roach and Ariza took four steps that will negate Khan's weak chin:
1.: Roach moved Khan up in weight, which was sensible as it made making the weight a lot easier and took away any weight-drain concerns.
2.: Roach and Ariza re-sculpted Khan physically to give him extra leg and core mass, cutting useless upper body muscle. That extra leg and core strength will not help how Khan takes a punch, but will help how he recovers from a punch - meaning he will be less likely to go down and more likely to just be staggered.
3.: Roach improved Khan's defence, teaching him the basics of keeping his hands up and fighting out of a mobile shell.
4.: Roach changed Khan's fighting philosophy. Khan is no longer a naive fighter wading into close quarters assuming his superior physical abilities and technical skill will prevai. Khan now fights to his strengths, using a long and stiff jab to keep distance and picking his shots carefully.
Maidana will find it very hard to land enough flush shots and will eat a lot himself while trying to do so, meaning he'll have a puncher's chance at best. I'm happy to bet with anyone who disagrees.
Comment