A year ago, the junior welterweight division was being touted as the deepest, most competitive in the sport. Now, after several key bouts, the division has thinned out a bit, but it?s still among boxing?s best? And sitting atop the deep 140 lb. class is IBF/WBA champ, Amir Khan.
Depending on who you ask, the UK media magnet and Olympic silver medalist, is either the top junior welter in the world or a very close second to American, Timothy Bradley.
Yet, the 24-year-old fighter from Bolton, Lancashire is, by most assessments, still a work in progress.
Only in boxing?s chaotic world of nepotism and promotional shortcuts can a fighter be considered among the divisional elite while simultaneously existing as a talented, but incomplete prospect.
Amir Khan fits both bills perfectly. He?s the elite junior welterweight who has beaten three legitimate Top 5 junior welterweights (Judah, Maidana, Malignaggi) in his last four bouts. He?s also the fighter who, more often than not, has looked less than the sum of his parts.
Against Argentine slugger, Marcos Maidana, Khan showed that, when pressed, his entire defensive repertoire still consists of two attributes: foot speed and desperation.
In that fight, Khan?s athleticism and raw ability allowed him to build a huge early lead and, essentially, run out the clock as Maidana got stronger and began to hurt the talented defending champ later in the contest.
In his next fight, Khan scored a clumsy technical decision over fringe contender, Paul McCloskey, looking absolutely befuddled at the idea of how to handle an awkward southpaw.
A KO 5 win over Zab Judah was next for Khan and while Judah was the reigning IBF 140 lb. titlist at the time, the name on paper meant more than the actual accomplishment. The tentative Judah was never in the fight and seemed resigned to his loss from the moment he became aware that he was dealing with someone younger, bigger, stronger, and faster than him.
