Brooklyn, NY ? World ranked welterweight contender and former light welterweight champion, Amir ?King? Khan returned to the ring this past Saturday night against former champion, once beaten Chris Algieri. The fight was thought by many to be a mismatch on paper due to the fact that Algieri was coming off of a one sided decision loss to Manny Pacquiao in which he was knocked down six times. Khan was coming in off a very impressive decision win over Devon Alexander and all the talk in the lead up to the Algieri bout was that this was an audition for Floyd Mayweather Jr?s September 12th fight date.
As the bell for the first round rang, the obvious difference in speed was quite evident. Khan worked behind a quick jab and fast one-two combinations. Algieri was getting caught early and seemed like he was going to have trouble catching up to Khan, but late in the first, Algieri landed a solid right hand on the side of Khan?s face that was a wake up call to fans and Amir Khan that this was not going to be the cake walk everyone expected.
Chris Algieri came into the bout wanting to prove he was better fighter than what he showed against Manny Pacquiao and with the help of new trainer John David Jackson, he showed just that. He came in with an attacking pressure style in the hopes of making Khan uncomfortable and possibly landing a fight changing punch. While Algieri did have some success with this style and clearly won some rounds, the faster more talented fighter was Amir Khan.
Khan while not overly impressive in the fight, was still more active, as he was consistently landing his jab and moving effectively in the bout. As the fight wore on, Algieri became less effective and Khan had some of his best rounds late. When the final bell rang and the scorecards of 115-113, 117-111 and 117-111 were read, Amir Khan was announced winner by unanimous decision.
With the win, Amir Khan is now riding a five fight win streak as he looks to stake his claim as the next foe for Floyd Mayweather. Having unsuccessfully campaigned to fight Mayweather in 2014, Khan hopes that 2015 can bring him the fight he desperately wants before the pound-for-pound king retires.
Much was said of Khan?s hand speed and ability to box as a possible kryptonite for Mayweather, but this fight proved that Amir Khan still has many defensive vulnerabilities. Chris Algieri was looked at as a largely outmatched foe coming into the fight, having been dismantled by Manny Pacquiao months prior and having won a controversial fight with Ruslan Provodnikov beforehand, yet he was able to put forth a respectable performance in which he had many moments of success.
This performance was not what Amir Khan had intended for, but it may actually lure Mayweather into fighting for his final contracted fight with Showtime. Out of all the current candidates for the ?Mayweather Sweepstakes?, Khan has the largest fan base and also holds the WBC Silver welterweight belt, making him a very credible opponent. That, alongside the fact that Khan struggled with a relatively inexperienced Algieri, seems like a risk worth taking as ?Money? Mayweather nears his exit from the sport.
