After beating Paulie Malignaggi in a one sided affair on Saturday night, talk has now turned to who WBA light welterweight Amir Khan will face next.
Immediately after the fight he named Marcos Maidana as the man who he wants to fight next, although that might not be the most likely opponent for the Bolton born puncher.
Marcos Maidana is the number one contender to Khan’s belt, but he has also pulled out of fighting Timothy Bradley twice recently, citing a back injury. While some within the industry don’t think this injury in genuine, this still puts Maidana out of action for the time being. Khan and his team have said that his next fight might be as soon as July 31st.
A lot of the talk about Khan facing Maidana might have come about because fans were claiming that Khan ducked the Argentinean in favor of lighter puncher. The truth of the matter though is that for a debut fight on American soil, Khan needed someone the American fans would recognize, and Malignaggi was just that.
Victor Ortiz is a more likely candidate, who dominated an old looking Nate Campbell on the undercard of Saturday’s event. Ortiz was being hyped as the next big thing at light welterweight until he was knocked out by the aforementioned Maidana last year.
Ortiz on paper can challenge Khan where Paulie couldn’t, he is big at the weight and has a much better punch. Not to mention that both Khan and Ortiz are Golden Boy fighters, meaning a lot less work and more money for Richard Shaefer should they fight each other rather then any of the other top fighters. Also having fought at the same time as Khan he will also probably be ready to fight again at the same time, which most of the other top fighters in the division won’t be.
Who should Khan face next? Marcos Maidana Victor Ortiz Breidis Prescott Timothy Bradley Devon Alexander Michael Katsidis
View Results poll by twiigs.com
Another option given that Khan’s next fight is in England would be Breidis Prescott, who himself got back into winning ways on Saturday night after suffering back to back losses. The Colombian bomber is the only man to have beaten Khan, stopping him in a single round. Revenge over Prescott would not only do Khan’s confidence a lot of good, but would also show the fans that Khan is ready to face anyone.
Khan has also said today that he would like to fight Micheal Katsidis, who knocked out his countryman and rival Kevin Mitchell in four rounds on Saturday. Katsidis is an interim lightweight champion and would have to climb up in weight, but does present Khan with the challenge that many feel he has shied away from recently. Katsidis has a big punch, and beating him would prove to his doubters that Khan’s chin isn’t as vulnerable as it was made to look.
Ralph Jones, Pittsburgh: “Where is Malignaggi and his big mouth now? Has he officially retired yet after the humilating beating he took?”
Liam Paterson, Pittsburgh: “Prescott would be a big fight in England, and so would Katsidis. Both of them are big hitters as well. Prescott has the revenge angle for Khan, but Katsidis has the revenge angle for his countryman”
