Excluding the night when he got run over by a Colombian truck named Breidis Prescott, there hasn?t been much to criticize about England?s Amir Khan in the ring.
That night, they took to calling him ?A Mere Con? because he led with his face and was left looking into the sometimes hurtful mirror of self doubt.
It?s outside the ring, I think, where US audiences are having trouble identifying with Kid Khan, now trained by Coach Freddie Roach.
Most USA fight fans want their ring heroes to show the proverbial ?fire in the belly? and Khan is more the self assured, suave and debonair type.
But, suddenly, Khan is talking tough, spouting about how he?s got BOTH unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. and the also Roach handled Manny Pacquiao on his to do list.
Khan spoke to our pal, Daily Telegraph scribe Gareth ?Big Man? Davies the other day and said, among other things:
?I think a win over (Zab) Judah will give me more confidence to go up to welterweight. I do want to fight Floyd Mayweather. I?m not going to wait around in the 140lb division for Bradley. The bigger names, the harder fights are in the welterweight division.
?The winner of Mayweather and Victor Ortiz [scheduled for the autumn of 2011] would be ideal for me. I think I have the style for Mayweather. I don?t think he has fought anyone with the speed and angles I can create.
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?Maybe he?s not taking the fight with Manny for similar reasons. Freddie has studied and analysed Mayweather for years and years and he knows we both have the style to beat Mayweather.?
You might think that Khan has spent enough time in La La Land now that he knows how to read a script, in this case one scribbled out for him by promoter Golden Boy.
But I don?t see it that way. Khan wants to fight Mayweather because that?s where the real gold is.
Of course, another rich vein for Khan would be a fight against sometimes sparmate Pacman.
Khan, until recently, wouldn?t hear of such a fight, citing the obvious dilemma for Coach Freddie.
But commerce rules and supplant sentiment in bigtime boxing. So, if Khan-Pacquiao happens, maybe Pepper Roach can work Khan?s corner or something like that.
No doubt, Freddie would cast his lot with his main Man-ny.
At this juncture, can Khan beat either ?Money? or Manny?
The answer is no and no.
But it?s refreshing to hear Khan blowing smoke.
It?s coming from his belly, not his brain, but it?s spot on.
Khan fights Judah July 23 on HBO from Las Vegas.
