When Pacquiao won a technical knockout victory over Barrera six years ago, the boxing world noticed. Khan will strive to duplicate the feat this coming Saturday at the Manchester arena in what could be his career defining fight against the Mexican legend. A week before the Pacman first fought Barrera, boxing experts and fans were divided on who will win the fight. The opinions centered around whether a hungry young fighter with speed and power can beat an experienced and skilled boxer like Marco Antonio. The same argument have been hurled by boxing aficionados about the Khan- Barrera fight.
Freddie Roach has also been pointing out that Khan and the Pacman are very alike in terms of speed, power, easy to teach and eager to learn. Both fighters also suffered knockout losses early in their career.
The similarities end there. Unlike Pacquiao, Khan has questionable chin which Barrera can exploit come fight night. Pacquiao was moving in weight when he fought Barrera at 126 pounds. With the Amir showdown, Barrera is jumping up to the lightweight division, where the Olympic silver medallist has been fighting the last two years . This gives the Bolton boxer an edge in terms of reach and height.
When Khan met and sparred withPacquiao at the Wild Card Gym, there was instant chemistry between the two. Khan was inspired by the Pacman?s work ethic and how he picked himself up after experiencing devastating defeats as a young fighter.
Looking back,Pacquiao?s win over Barrera opened a lot of opportunities for the young Filipino boxer. There is no doubt that an impressive win for the British boxer over Barrera would mean bigger fights, bigger paydays in the future and a respect that every boxer is clamoring for.
