Amir Khan: Erik Morales, Timothy Bradley, or the Winner of Maidana vs Guerrero

Amir Khan (26-1, 18 KOs) gave a great performance on Saturday, July 23rd, at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, knocking out Zab Judah (41-7, 28 KOs) in Round 5 with an uppercut to the belt line.

Whether the uppercut was a proper move or not (some believe the punch was really an unintentional low-blow), Judah was getting outclassed.

Khan's reach, mixed with his speed and blaze of activity, told the story of the fight. Judah's defensive mode couldn't block and avoid everything Khan was throwing.

Following the victory over Judah, I have contemplated who his next opponent will likely be. Only three choices seem obvious.

Among this three, there are also three categories the options fit into. Those categories: The Wanted, The Unwanted and The Acceptable.

The Wanted

Who we, the boxing fans, want to see Khan face is undefeated junior welterweight world champion Timothy Bradley (27-0, 11 KOs).

Between Khan and Bradley, the four major world titles at junior welterweight are evenly distributed. The titles patiently await to be claimed by one owner.

So far Bradley won't let that happen, as he is going through litigation with his former boxing promoter, Gary Shaw. On top of the promotional issues, Bradley has said to boxingscene that he wants "the bigger fish" Mayweather or Pacquiao next, because he's "paid his dues."

Khan's campaign to face boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) comes with a year of beating more respectable competition, whereas Bradley expects to fight Mayweather or pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao based off his current accomplishments and free-agent status.

Khan will likely have to look elsewhere for an opponent. As long as Bradley is chasing dream fights while running from promoters, he'll be unavailable to stand toe-to-toe in the ring with Khan.

The Unwanted

Erik Morales (51-7, 35 KOs) is the next option. Khan's trainer Freddie Roach had this to say to boxingscene about Morales:

"Erik Morales was game against Marcos Maidana...but there are better fights out there."

Morales is 34, 10 years Khan's senior. Morales has been through numerous wars in the ring. Some say he's past his competitive years, until he used his ring smarts to give 28-year-old Maidana (30-2, 27 KOs) a tough fight.

Morales lost a close decision but won over most of his critics with the brilliant performance.

However competitive Morales may be, his age will give the perception that Khan and his team are chasing oldies who are on their way out of the fight game. A young opponent will be vital to Khan.

The Acceptable

On August 27th, 2011, Maidana sets his eyes on 28-year-old Robert Guerrero (29-1-1, 18 KOs) in San Jose, California.

Khan already faced Maidana in last year's fight of the year. Now Guerrero has challenged Khan, and Maidana wants a rematch.

Whoever wins this match will be the most likely and realistic option.

The fight will be seen as competitive, almost guaranteeing blazing entertainment.

To reference the The Dark Knight, it may not be the junior welterweight clash we want, but it's the clash we deserve.