Amir Khan vs. Marcos Maidana: King Khan Gets Crowned

On December 11, Amir Khan will attempt to settle the WBA World Light Welterweight title against Marcos Maidana.

Khan's trainer Freddie Roach has stated “We’re ready for what he has. He’s a very good fighter. We will break him down and I think he will knock Maidana out in the later rounds.”

Roach is a master of match making; he knows how to formulate a strategy that will impose his fighter’s strengths against favorably matched opponents.

Critics of Roach have expressed this very thought regarding Roach's prized pupil and pound for pound best in the sport, Manny Pacquiao.

Having said that, you can’t argue the success that Roach has had as a trainer; he is, after all, a four time Trainer of the Year recipient.   

To say I respect Freddie Roach is an understatement. I think he’s the best trainer in the sport at this time.  However, I do believe he got this one wrong.

Amir Khan has some chops and Roach will go to bat for his fighters, so with good reason, Roach will implement a skill he has mastered: talking trash. 

The statement doesn’t surprise me, but on December 11, 2010 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV, Roach and Khan will leave defeated and his words will be left as a reminder of a fight he shouldn’t have provoked.

Khan's career has been carefully reconstructed since his first round knockout defeat at the hands of Breidis Prescott (19-0-17 at the time), the hardest puncher Khan had faced to date.

Roach thinks the knockout was a fluke.

“You get knocked out once in your life and they say you have no chin. If Khan gets knocked out, they’ll say they were right. If he doesn’t, they won’t. I say it was just something that happened. I’m not worried about that. People get knocked out in boxing. Amir got knocked out so he’s stuck with that for a while. When he wins this fight and proves that he’s one of the biggest punchers at 140 pounds that we’ve seen in a long time, it will start to go away”, Roach told RingTV.com

Skillful responses from a master coach, but actions speak louder than words; let’s take a look at Khan’s record after the knockout.

Since that time, Khan has only challenged pillow fisted fighters such as Oisin Fagan (22-5, 13 KO), Andreas Kotelnik (31-2, 13 KO), Dmitry Salita (30-0, 16 KO), and Paul Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KO), the Brooklyn native with the arms of a 12 year old girl.

Although it was an exemplary display of boxing ability for Khan, he was never in any real danger versus Malignaggi.

Marcos Maidana is a true knockout artist and has ended all but three bouts by knockout in his impressive 29-1, 27 KO campaign.

The pro-Khan crowd for this showdown will want to point to Maidana’s pure brawler style, lack of footwork and inferior boxing ability as the reason Khan will have his arm raised after 12 championship rounds. 

However, legendary trainer and cut-man Miguel Diaz, along with other members of the Maidana team, think differently.

Members of Maidana's told reporters, "Khan is going to see some new things. Marcos still hits hard, but we are going to go after him. Hit him in the arms, the shoulders, we will hit him wherever we can. Khan will run but it will only be a matter of time before Marcos cuts off the ring and catches him.  Khan's chin will get a test."

Diaz states he has seen more versatility, as well as upper body and head movement, from Maidana than in the past. Maidana is working hard to be a more complete fighter.  

Khan will use his superior boxing skill and leg work to keep Maidana at a safe distance, but sooner or later Maidana will catch him and touch Khan’s chin, and that’s when I expect the stoppage.

Styles make fights, but so does a fighter's ability to withstand a chin check, and I don’t think Khan can stand up to the Argentinean's power. 

My prediction: Maidana by KO inside of 8 rounds.