The stars are in alignment for once beaten Amir Khan to ascend to the throne of British boxing royalty.
Some critics feel that Kid Khan, only 22 and still a ring greenhorn with a suspect chin, will not be up to the task when he challenges 140 pound champ Andreas Kotelnik Saturday night in Manchester. But Kotelnik is eminently beatable and you may be sure Khan has been physically honed to the nth degree by Manny Pacquiao tutor Coach Freddie Roach.
Beating Kotelnik will make Khan England’s most popular and charismatic fight (sorry, Lunch Pail Carl “Cobra” Froch but facts are facts). Khan was hailed as the UK’s New Glamor Puss Fighter until rude dude from Colombia, paralyzing puncher Breidis Prescott upset the Khan apricot (or applecart if you prefer) with a one round KO blitz of the Olympic hero.
Reading tea leaves may only leave us all bagged out but perhaps it’s a sign of better things to come for the revived Khan that Prescott was upset Friday night in Las Vegas, losing a 10-round split decision to rugged Mexican Miguel “Titere” Vaszquez (now 25-3).
From all reports, that it was a split verdict is preposterous. Reports say Prescott finished the bout with his left eye pretty much swollen and closed.
One judge called the ESPN main event it 95-94 and the second had it 96-93 which indicates that Prescott had his moments, particularly in round one when he used a jab to deck Vasquez.
But the third judge (sorry, I will name the guilty party later) had an absurd 97-92 vote.
(Dallas Boxing Examiner Housecat Matt Stolow, who has not have a Friday night date since 1967, watched it and saw it for Vasquez 97-93.)
I keep repeating that his sort of sorry scoring is killing boxing. You wound up with a ridiculous eight point gap in a 10 round bout between the three points Vasquez vote and the five point Prescott ballot.
Uncle Frank Warren must be grinning ear to ear with this result, surely convincing him to use the revenge bout against Prescott next should Khan take the belt from Kotelnik.
But there’s another juicy alternative for Roach, Warren and Khan.
If Khan Do against Kotelnik and doesn’t turn into Khan’t Do, then the never shy and not retiring Ricky Hatton is going to be willing for a final big dip paynight.
That’s an instant sellout in Manchester if there ever was one.
It’s all up to you, Amir.
You must make sure you get crowned and not clowned this evening.
Then you have both Prescott and Hatton served up on a silver platter.
With Hatton getting dismantled by Pacquiao and Joe Calzaghe going off stage, England sorely needs a top ticket boxing star.
Is Khan up to the job?
