![]() I felt a lot worse after Maidana than after Canelo or any time I was knocked out.” It shows you how bad those fights are for you. I don’t remember anything after the fight, which tells you a lot. After that he landed numerous heavy shots. “Marcos Maidana caught me with a really big punch but I didn’t go down. If I took those big shots from Canelo, Prescott and Danny Garcia, and boxed on, the punishment would be far worse. Mikey Garcia got beaten up by Errol Spence. It is better to be taken out by one big punch. I am kind of glad I got knocked out three times rather than taking numerous shots. The only consolation for Khan is that the shattering impact of a single blow is, arguably, less damaging than a sustained beating. So now I have to deny my opponent the opportunity to catch me cold. It was as if I was waiting for that shot to land. He went to my body which made me drop my hands and then he came over the top with a right hand. He just had power and, you know, Canelo is very smart. “Boxing-wise I did really well against him. “Canelo was very big, very heavy,” he says. It was frightening to see Khan lying utterly still on the canvas after a devastating blow – which meant he had to be taken to hospital. Khan boxed well for four rounds before, in the fifth, the Mexican’s pulverising right hand knocked him out instantly. The contest was at middleweight, two divisions above Khan’s natural fighting weight, and the outcome was predictable and unsettling. The last time he gambled this hard, Khan went to Las Vegas in May 2016 and fought Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez. I want to get out before there’s any real damage.” ![]() So I only have a few more fights left in me. It is better to be taken out by one big punchĭreams rarely come true for old boxers and Khan is approaching the end. Crawford knows I’m still a big name but he thinks it’s going to be easy.” I am kind of glad I got knocked out three times rather than taking numerous shots. It was not a great performance but I might not have got this fight without Vargas. But I got up and won big on the scorecards. ![]() “When I knocked him down I thought it was going to be easy. “I trained hard but, after 35 fights, I took the guy too lightly,” he suggests. He was blistering in the opening round, dropping Vargas, before being knocked down in the second. Khan still looked vulnerable in his last fight, which he won on a wide decision against Samuel Vargas, a journeyman. Compare his résumé to mine and I am light years ahead.” Crawford’s taking a big step up against me. “I would have destroyed Prescott if I’d fought him then. The only opponent of his you could pick out is Breidis Prescott and that was late in Prescott’s career. “His last three opponents I would have beat easy. At 31, the American needs to prove his mastery against an elite operator. His other lingering hope is that Crawford’s 34-0 record includes many respectable opponents but not one outstanding rival. Khan with WBO welterweight title-holder Terence Crawford who he meets at Madison Square Garden on 20 April. He |has never faced anyone as quick as me.” “I don’t think he can deal with my speed. Yet he retains the blistering hand speed that offers his best chance against Crawford. ![]() Khan has been stretched out on the canvas as his personal mishaps have been matched by the knockout blows he has suffered. He has never been less than open and engaging while shrouded in a naivety that has seen him make a string of bad decisions in and out of the ring. I have interviewed him at various stages of his career, from being a brilliant teenager who offered so much dazzling hope when he won a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games to becoming an ageing fighter admitting his own vulnerabilities. ![]() Khan is as friendly and as brave as he has always been. You need these fights which make you a little nervous.” Beating Crawford will transform my career. This is a fight that can make me a world champion again and I feel that God has given me this chance. I believe I can win but everyone thinks all the odds are against me. “It’s a fight to keep me in the sport, to give me the love for it. “I have been fighting for many years and I need this kind of contest to lift me,” Khan says of his WBO world welterweight title bout against Crawford. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |