First and foremost, let me be clear that I have the utmost respect for Amir Khan. He is a fighter and he gets into the ring and lays it all on the line. Khan has a lot of heart and he as a fighter deserves to be respected. With that said, he is a victim of sorts.
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Khan is the victim of a hype job. The poor guy comes over to America and is swept up by the hype machine. He ends up at Wild Card Gym, home of 8 division world champion Manny Pacquiao, and Freddie Roach.
Khan would be bounced around in training having to fly to and from the Philippines, chasing if you will, Freddie Roach, to get his work in. This mixed in with the on going distractions that take place in and around Wild Card Gym has to take a toll. Pacquiao’s world in itself is a magnet for distractions, so just being around that mess has to have an impact. To Pacquiao’s credit, he himself took back his life, and got back focused on the things that made him a great person.
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It’s been a bad year for Freddie Roach. Pacquiao although most thought he won, lost to Tim Bradley. Pacman is not the fighter that he once was, but even a slightly fading Pacquiao is going to defeat most put in front of him. That being said, he still isn’t the fighter that he once was.
Roach predicted a Khan knockout over Danny Garcia. Khan in very unlike Khan fashion got up to the podium and he too said a knockout was coming. He didn’t think that he would be the one getting knocked out though. Khan got thrashed by a young lion in Danny Garcia.
Would this have happened if Khan had a trainer not so stretched out between other fighters? The Wild Card Gym certainly isn’t the gym of old. Big fame created big heads at the top. Perhaps Khan needs a new trainer and a new gym to reset his career. He’s certainly got the talent to make a comeback.
Khan also lost a close fight to Lamont Peterson. The rematch was ordered, then Peterson tested positive for testosterone. Khan’s fight Vs. Peterson would then be canceled. The change in opponent from Peterson to Garcia probably didn’t help things, but he still had time to make the adjustment. So what happened? Garcia threw a wrench into the hype machine, and Khan is now looking at back to back defeats.
I would not count Amir Khan out just yet. He’s got a lot of skills, speed, and heart. If he is smart, he will go back to the drawing board, seek out a new trainer, and a new gym, and he will probably be just fine.
