In this intriguing match up of contrasting styles pitting the boxer against the slugger for the WBA world light welterweight title scheduled to take place at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas this coming Saturday December 11 crack at the WBA title which had eluded him after dropping a split decision loss to Andriy Kotelnik in February of 2009. Ironically, it is the same WBA light welterweight title up for grabs that now lies in the hands of his current opponent, Amir Khan, the boxer, who captured the title from non other than the only common opponent between these two combatants, Andriy Kotelnik, over whom Khan was awarded a unanimous decision victory in July of 2009.
Maidana comes into this match with the higher knockout percentage, which is the main reason he has been extended the full distance in only 3 of his 29 previous fights, going 12 rounds twice, once against Kotelnik,, and once against a past his prime DeMarcus ?Chop Chop? Corley, Maidana?s latest opponent. In facing Corley this past August, Maidana had ?Chop Chop in trouble and on the verge of a knockout a couple of times, but Corley was able to use his veteran experience and crowd or tie up ?El Chino,? who worked well in spots, but also appeared sluggish at times, especially in the latter rounds when ?El Chino? had his mouth open appearing to lack the stamina to sustain his usually aggressive style. Even though seemingly not in the best shape for the Corley fight, I am sure he will come into this fight with Khan in excellent condition, as the stakes are much higher.
In revisiting Maidana?s fight with Kotelnik, who fights a similar style to Khan, moving in and out with guard held high, Maidana again fought well in spots and had Andriy in a bit of trouble, but he couldn?t bring down Kotelnik?s guard who fought a disciplined fight and was able to courageously back Maidana up on occasion. When Kotelnik was indeed able to force the Argentinian backwards, which was seldom, he rendered Maidana ineffective and made him appear as a mere average fighter. Besides good defense, another principal reason Kotelnik was effective in gaining the split decision victory over Maidana was that Kotelnik committed to his punches well, putting just enough power on the blows to stifle the consistency of Maidana?s attack, even though Kotelnik isn?t known to pack much power.
I would imagine that Khan, along with his trainer Freddie Roach are aware of some of these nuances, and will perhaps prepare ?King Khan? to use his good jab, maintain distance, and out box the slugger Maidana over the course of 12 rounds, putting enough mustard on his punches to buy him the time to escape the ever pressing style of Marcos Maidana. Can Amir Khan ward off Marcos Maidana? After suffering a knockout at the hands of Breidis Prescott, it is evident that Khan will not be able to take Maidana?s punches as well as Kotelnik did, so for Khan to survive and have any chance of victory, he must avoid a firefight. At the same time Khan tries to elude ?El Chino?, he must also commit to his punches better than he has demonstrated in some of his past fights, where he has a tendency to throw flurry?s of pitter pat, amateur style punches. Those types of blows may score points, but they will be a mistake to throw against Marcos Maidana, as it will leave Khan in the range of Maidana?s powerful half straight, half right hook that has decked many a fighter for the 10 count. ?King Khan?s? best bet is to keep the Argentinian at the end of his punches while not opening himself up to not find out how powerful ?El Chino? is, who has rolled over and through just about everyone he has faced, to include the likes of solid fighters like Victor Ortiz and Victor Cayo, whom Maidana finished off in stunning fashion. Once Khan throws a combination, he needs to immediately move to his right away from Maidana?s power, or the super lightweight title will change hands in a flash.
When speaking of going the distance, which Khan in all likelihood will have to do as it would be a monumental stretch to say that he will stop the rugged Argentinian fighter at any point in this fight, Khan in his professional career has only gone the full length four times. Twelve rounds twice in 2008 and 2009, as well as ten rounds and six rounds in fights that took place more than a few years back. In reviewing Khan?s last win against light hitting Paulie Malinaggi, who was able to hang in against the sharp boxing Khan until the 11 perfection, which Malinaggi had no answer for. Whether he is able to keep the ever pressing Maidana at the end of that jab is a daunting task that remains to be seen, as the skilled Argentinian slugger will come in hungry looking to gain his first significant world title belt.
Maidana, who utilizes good head movement and delivers punches from so many angles while shifting, side stepping, and coming forward simultaneously, will cause confusion for Khan and create openings for Maidana?s dynamite power, the kind of power Khan will not be able to withstand if he gets hit flush. ?King Khan?, who is a bit mechanical as well as stand uppish in his style, needs to move in, take care of business, and get out before the Argentinian has a chance to respond. To do this Khan will have to box beautifully and be on top of his game for no less than the entire fight.
Amir, I am sure, gets great sparring, as in all likelihood he sparred with kingpin Manny Pacquiao in preparation for this fight, which should have him in condition to go the entire 12 rounds. However, one of the challenges in preparing for this particular fight may have been to find a sparring partner that can mimic the movement and style of a Marcos Maidana, as he is somewhat unique. Khan does have the advantage of having Freddie Roach in his corner, who will come in with a solid game plan against ?El Chino,? but of course the intriguing part of this match up is whether Khan can carry out that game plan. Will it be Maidana, thwarting ?King Khan?s? plans by making it a street fight to stop Amir before the 12 round limit? An all out brawl is exactly what Maidana is looking to create, as coming forward effectively and aggressively throughout is his key to victory, with a boxing match being Khan?s only chance to come out on top. Another important aspect of this title fight could be how the referee handles it. Let?s hope that Khan is not allowed to hold or push down Maidana?s head excessively, as the fight should be determined by the fighters and what they able to bring to the table, rather than the third man in the ring limiting the action by not allowing Maidana to attempt to impose his style.
Whatever transpires, once the bell rings, Khan cannot hesitate or miss a beat in carrying out his fight plan because one mistake can put him on the back burner for some time, especially with the upcoming WBC & WBO light welterweight title bout between Timothy ?Desert Storm? Bradley and Devon Alexander ?The Great taking place January 29 perhaps each of the winners in these two title fights could face off to get a clear super lightweight division champion and unify the titles. Timothy Bradley currently holds Ring Magazines number 1 position, with Khan number two, Alexander 3, and Maidana number 4. Maidana, who was scheduled to fight Bradley earlier this year and pulled out under conflicting circumstances, may conceivably end up fighting Bradley for the number 1 spot if Bradley and Maidana emerge victorious. This scenario makes for more drama than the Super Six tournament taking place in the super middleweight division, as although a well intentioned tournament, it was probably scheduled to be completed over too long a period of time with too much space in between the matches, which I believe has partially led to 3 of the original 6 fighters in that tournament dropping out for one reason or another. An additional perceived flaw in the Super Six tournament, as opposed to what could happen here in the super lightweight division, is that arguably the best fighter in the super middleweight division, Lucian Bute, is not involved. Without such pre-hype regarding the super lightweight division, and with the top four Ring Magazine fighters scheduled to meet up, it is already shaping up to hopefully provide a clear division champion, which will lend much credibility to this talent stacked weight class. Let?s hope that this will be the case, which will not only be a win for fight fans, but for boxing in general.
