Los Angeles – Amir Khan has been knocked down and defeated, but the up and coming junior welterweight’s heart has never been questioned, until know.
The business of boxing, with its politicking and maneuvering, can give fighters undeserved reputations. If a promoter lets the fistic soup simmer into a boil, the fighters are at times perceived by the public as “scared” of a another fighter.
Let me set the record straight, any man that steps into the ring to risk his life during a boxing bout is no coward and if you believe he is, you have been influenced by the work of the promoters.
As Khan works away at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California, some in the media and pessimistic fans question his guts and call him a a yellow belly.
Why all the negative energy directed at Khan?
Because the recent British transplant’s new American promoter Golden Boy Promotions refuses to pit Marcos Maidana against Khan, and reports are now pointing to the promotional firm forcing Maidana to sign a 12 month set-aside clause; this agreement, if real, would keep Maidana from enforcing his #1 contender status to fight Khan for the World Boxing Association’s title.
Seems as if Golden Boy chief Richard Schaefer wants to keep Maidana off Khan’s plate while both men build a bigger following on HBO, or hopes that Maidana will suffer a very public defeat on the way.
Maidana is a high danger, low reward sort of fighter. Ask Golden Boy promotional property Victor Ortiz what Maidana could do for your career.
Interestingly enough, Khan is seemingly headed to a clash with veteran fighter Juan Manuel Marquez – a fight that will much tougher than any challenge that Maidana could muster at this moment. Yet the public won’t have any of Marquez, and would rather paint a stripe down Khan’s back.
Bad public relations blunder by Golden Boy, leaving Khan with egg all over his face.
Los Angeles based Cuban Rigondeaux to donate to Haitian relief
Former amateur stand-out and rising professional bantamweight Guillermo Rigondeaux has announced that he will give 50 percent of his Friday night purse to the Haitian relief efforts via the Boston’s Children Foundation.
Rigondeaux (4-0, 3 KOs) is scheduled to fight Adolfo Landeros (20-12-1, 9 KOs) tomorrow on ESPN Friday Night Fights in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Since defecting from Cuba and becoming professional, Rigondeaux has settled into the Los Angeles area and trains under Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym
