Amir Khan will be driven by a determination to prove his critics wrong in Las Vegas on Saturday, when he takes on the big-punching Argentinian Marcos Maidana.
Khan puts his WBA light-welterweight title on the line against Maidana in a huge fight for his career, as the American public increasingly buy into the Khan brand created by Golden Boy promotions. Talk of a future showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jnr. has helped draw attention to the English fighter, who has won his last five fights.
It is his last defeat, a 54-second knockout at the hands of Breidis Prescott, that continues to haunt Khan though, with critics still raising doubts over his ability to take a punch. Trainer Freddie Roach believes victory over a power puncher like Maidana will finally quash those jibes, and Khan is clearly motivated by the chance to prove a point.
“You can’t take it away from him, knocking out 27 opponents out of 30, he’s a big puncher and he’s finished most of his opponents in the first three rounds,” Khan said of Maidana on Sky Sports News.
“There’s no pressure, I take it all in my stride. It makes me focus and want to go out there and prove everyone wrong. I’ve got a lot of doubters out there, and I just love proving them wrong. There are a lot of people who need to be proved wrong.
“Marcos Maidana has got a big punch, and a lot of people are asking, ‘can Amir take a big punch?’ Let’s see what happens Saturday.”
Khan has formed a close bond with mentor Roach, who also acts as coach to Manny Pacquiao. The Bolton-born fighter insists he would never fight Pacquiao due to their friendship, and he is relying on Roach’s tactics to make the difference this weekend.
“We know exactly what to do. I’ll stick exactly to instructions from the corner, and stay professional for a nice win,” Khan said. “I’ve always dreamt of fighting in Vegas. Now I’m going to make the most of it. We’ve got some great champions in Britain, and I’m going to finish the year with a bang.”
