Amir Khan vs Marcos Madaina

[kikibalt]

Amir Khan is 1 day away from the biggest test of his chin
By Bennie

Amir Khan is 1 days away from the biggest test of his chin since it failed alarmingly against a wild Colombian by the name of Breidis Prescott in September 2008.

It looked all over for the Bolton youngster, smashed inside a minute, but Khan was brought back with remarkable speed as he busted up Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera, linked up with trainer Freddie Roach in the States, moved up a weight and won the WBA light-welterweight title, then retained against two non-punchers.

Now comes Marcos Maidana, a big-hitting challenger from Argentina who brings a 29-1 (27) record to Las Vegas on Saturday night for his long-awaited showdown with Khan. Maidana, 27, earned his chance 18 months ago with a thrilling six-round stoppage of the much-touted Victor Ortiz in Los Angeles, climbing off the floor three times to outlast and outgame Ortiz, since then he has fought and won three times.

He could not be avoided forever. The 24-year-old Khan has definitely improved since Prescott and he goes in as the betting favourite - but what happens when Maidana tags him on the chin?

[diggity]

Pretty excited for this one. This is a serious fight for both guys that will definitely pave the way for each of them.

[apollack]

Maidana is the fighter. Khan is the boxer. Maidana has the gamer, tougher qualities. I see Khan trying to use his height, reach, footwork, and speed to win on points, but Maidana will use his bull strength, two-fisted attack, and condition to try to maul and wear him out.

I hope there isn't some house ref who allows Khan to grab to hold Maidana safe, and constantly prematurely break them and push Maidana back. Not what boxing needs. Maidana should be allowed to rough him up inside if Khan illegally grabs. I will be rooting for the real fighter, Maidana, who is just a thrill to watch. I like ass beaters, and he is it.

I think Khan's defense is porous and his punching at times sloppy, and he leaves his head way up in the air, no head movement, at times poor guard, and he lunges and leans forward as he throws, leaving himself vulnerable. I think with such weaknesses, if he doesn't either starch Maidana or get serious respect early, that Marcos is somewhere going to land some bombs and take him out. We'll see.

[gregbeyer]

adams statement about the ref worried me. who is the ref ? anybody know yet ?

greg

[kikibalt]

Amir Khan looks for success in the ring, acceptance outside it

The world champion boxer hopes a win against Marcos Maidana in Las Vegas on Saturday will raise his profile and help dispel negative images of his Muslim faith.
Amir Khan

By Lance Pugmire

December 11, 2010

Amir Khan of England will be fighting in Las Vegas on Saturday night, but not simply to defend his World Boxing Assn. junior-welterweight belt.

He's in the U.S. to also test his faith that a Muslim athlete of Pakistani heritage can win the hearts of American fans.

"Politics is a lot different than sport," Khan said last week as he hurried out of his Hollywood apartment complex to attend Friday prayers at a Los Angeles mosque. "I can break barriers with my skills and change things about the way people think of Muslims.

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"We're all equal, we're all trying to succeed and we should all get along. That's what sport does: brings people together."

His optimism is rooted in his youth — on Wednesday, he turned 24 — and in his success. At 17 he became an overnight sensation after winning the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and today is a world champion in the talent-rich, 140-pound division.

Yet he knows firsthand how in Britain, as in the U.S., the fears that come with the war on terror can be triggered in an instant, and have occasionally made him a target of vitriol just because he is Muslim.

As one online critic wrote recently on a British boxing site: "We constantly have to fear Muslims. … It's always Muslims that blow our loved one[s] up. Why on earth wouldn't we hate a guy that supports the same faith as those guys?"

Khan, who in an interview last year said if he were white "maybe I'd have been a superstar in Britain," says he no longer believes that.

"You get past that," he said of the rants directed at him online and from some fight fans when he's in the ring. "You want to prove those people wrong."

He knows winning can help do that. To that end, Khan (23-1, 17 knockouts) successfully defended his belt in his U.S. debut in May, scoring a technical knockout of Brooklyn's Paulie Malignaggi in New York. On Saturday he will face hard-punching Argentine Marcos Maidana (29-1, 27 KOs).

Khan is eager to own the spotlight here.

"I'm the youngest British fighter ever to defend a title in America," he said. "I want to be known all around the world. To do that, you have to fight everywhere and prove yourself."

At morning prayers last week, Khan arrived late and kneeled outside the mosque in the overflow crowd of worshippers, some of whom were aware a rising sports star was in their midst.

"A lot of bad things are happening when a lot of good things should be" the focus, said John Shiakh, 48, a Bangladesh native who prayed with the boxer at the mosque that day. "So it's nice to have someone like him from our community promoting peace and how we really are."

Time spent with Khan offered a glimpse of that. Being in the U.S. is also quality family time. On one recent day, Khan's father, Shah, and his mother, Falak, are with him. As Falak irons her son's dress clothes, Amir's brother, Haroon, 19, chats on Skype with his two sisters in England — one of whom is pregnant.

Khan heads to the kitchen but avoids the Frosted Flakes atop the refrigerator. Instead, he devours a breakfast of eggs, beans, tomatoes, mackerel and coffee. He tells of the first time he walked into a boxing gym in his hometown of Bolton, England. He was 8 and his parents were looking to provide an outlet for his hyperactive behavior.

"I had something to divert my energy and I was willing to learn," Khan said. "I loved boxing — hitting the bag, the sweaty smell, even being punched."

As he talks, it is hard to miss the plaque nearby, given to him by a friend. It reads, "May Allah give you the strength to succeed in all that you do."

"Amir's religion is his religion," said Shah Khan, who moved to Britain from Pakistan as a boy. "He stands behind it 100%. We, as Muslims, have had a lot of negativity in this country, but everybody's not the same and Islam doesn't tell you to kill people. I would hope people could believe that and point to someone like Amir and say, 'Look what he's doing.' More guys like Amir can bring people together.

"Amir sets himself goals you don't think are possible and he achieves them. Now he wants to be the best in his sport, a legend as a sportsman in this country."

Two years ago, Amir Khan looked done after losing at home to an unknown, Colombia's Breidis Prescott, who flattened Khan twice in a fight that lasted 54 seconds. Khan fired his trainer and hired Freddie Roach, the renowned teacher who has guided the ascent of Manny Pacquiao.

When Khan became world junior-welterweight champion last year, he hit a crossroads: fight in larger arenas for larger purses in Britain and the rest of Europe or head to the U.S.

Against Maidana, Khan will be relying on his ring speed but perhaps even more on his training. He spent a lot of time sparring with Pacquiao, the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

"He's the only guy I know who can keep up with Pacquiao," Roach said. "He's the best listener I've ever had. Maidana was third on my list of the three guys they presented to him to fight, but Amir said, 'I want the best one first.'"

Khan worked hard to recover his career, more than willing to bend with the ever-shifting training camps from the Philippines to Texas to Hollywood to accommodate Roach's work with Pacquiao — "never complained once," Roach said.

Salam Al-Marayati, the president of the L.A.-based Muslim Public Affairs Council, said not since Hakeem Olajuwon has a Muslim athlete been capable of such unifying impact.

"The sports arena is where the Muslim athlete is completely integrated into society as the rest of us struggle to become integrated," he said. "I remember [former Laker] Jamaal Wilkes came to our mosque here back when he was playing, telling us the best way to overcome discrimination is success — in business, sports, whatever you do. Our job is to become part of American society, and Amir Khan represents that."

Sports marketing expert David Carter of USC's Marshall School of Business has looked at Khan's career too.

"He is a long way from the big time, but if he has a clear positioning statement — this is why I'm here — and if he wins, he has a chance to exact change, even if it starts in small and incremental ways," Carter said.

"There are signs of hope. He's a young kid who might be a little naïve, but who can fault him for wanting to send a positive image? That resonates at any age."

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

[prodigious1]

I think if Maidana can come as hard as he usually does, he'll flatten Khan eventually. He's a brute inside and one of those guys who will hit you anywhere and everywhere. 12 rounds seems too long for Khan.

[Crold1]

The Ledgers

Amir Khan

Age: 24
Title: WBA Jr. Welterweight (2009-Present, 1 Defense)
Previous Titles: None

Height: 5’10

Weight: 140 lbs.

Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 137.65 lbs.

Hails from: Bolton, Lancashire, United Kingdom

Record: 23-1, 17 KO

BoxingScene Rank: #3 at Jr. Welterweight

Record in Major Title Fights: 3-0, 2 KO

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 4 (Gairy St. Clair, Marco Antonio Barrera, Andriy Kotelnik, Paulie Malignaggi)

Vs.

Marcos Maidana
Age: 25

Title/Previous Titles: None

Height: 5’9

Weight: 139 lbs.

Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 140.2 lbs.
Hails from: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Record: 29-1, 27 KO

BoxingScene Rank: #5 at Jr. Welterweight
Record in Major Title Fights: 0-1
 (4-1, 3 KO including interim title fights)
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 1 (DeMarcus Corley)
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced in Defeat: 1 (Andriy Kotelnik)

[hagler04]

My post fight comments:

First I want to say . . Joe Cortez SUCKS. I couldn't STAND how he wasn't letting the fighters work on the inside at all. And that's been his trademark for years. Way too involved in the fight. Just a terrible referee.

Khan showed great speed, stamina, and heart. He was really tired and hurt that 10th round and he showed perseverence to get through it. However, his chin will always be an issue.

Maidana is afflicted with Earnie Shaver's disease ie he's so in love with his power his technique, workrate, and most importantly footwork have all suffered as a result. His footwork was terrible . . he plods slower than most plodding heavyweights, and that's saying something. That's how you close the distance . . .fast feet and lots of punches. That's something he should be working in the gym on overtime. If he'd been in better condition and knew how to throw proper punches he would've won by KO in the 10th.

[prototypeofamodernmadman]

Man, that turned out to be a pretty good fight!! Ok, Khan is pretty good, Maidana didn't look too great, his punches were pushed and slow and thrown without a lot of snap, but I feel that the effect of those body shots that dropped him in he first never went away, Maidana could be seen limping to his corner,

I'm surprised that khan survived those last 3 rounds, he was out on his feet and it was exciting to see if Maidana could get him out of there,

Cortez is an asshole, taking a point for an elbow that barely grazed him and jumping in at the end of every round and pulling Maidana away,

I'd like to write about this fight later, I'm typing this crap from my iPhone and it's very annoying to type on this virtual keyboard,

What was up with that post fight interview? One question for Khan?


Uh, Well, Khan has passed the tough rough guy, I think he has the speed and power to take either Alexander or Bradley out easily, even with that late round scare Khan really impressed me,

[gregbeyer]

well .... i lost a bet to walsh. amir khan dropped marcos maidana hard with a body shot in the first round and postponed any early onslaughts by doing just that. maidana is the type to wear a guy down and had khan hurt in the late rounds but conditioning and the ever present and overly officious joe cortez helped him to last.

i have to say if joe cortez continues to get these bouts in- fighting will be a thing off the past. as soon as fighters get close joe jumps in. i almost threw the remote late in the fight. when one guy is holding and the other has a hand free to punch .... stay the fuck away.

good fight. could have been great without cortez.

the ortiz - peterson decision was surprising. i had ortiz winning but in the end he barely got the draw. two judges called it a draw and the other gave it to peterson even though he was down twice in the second.

walshie , leave your address info in my box and i'll square up.

greg

[Ron Lipton]

well .... i lost a bet to walsh. amir khan dropped marcos maidana hard with a body shot in the first round and postponed any early onslaughts by doing just that. maidana is the type to wear a guy down and had khan hurt in the late rounds but conditioning and the ever present and overly officious joe cortez helped him to last.

i have to say if joe cortez continues to get these bouts in- fighting will be a thing off the past. as soon as fighters get close joe jumps in. i almost threw the remote late in the fight. when one guy is holding and the other has a hand free to punch .... stay the fuck away.

good fight. could have been great without cortez.

the ortiz - peterson decision was surprising. i had ortiz winning but in the end he barely got the draw. two judges called it a draw and the other gave it to peterson even though he was down twice in the second.

walshie , leave your address info in my box and i'll square up.

greg

I am glad I am not the only one. I almost punched the wall from how many times I was utterly wild with anger at Cortez breaking them for no damn reason. Have you any idea how many fights he has CONSTANTLY done this in. What the fuck is going on with that, it ruins the fight. He ruins the Soto v Francisco fight, leaves the other boxer on the floor unattended and now its the IBHOF, ok whatever. No one seems to know WTF is going on anymore at ringside, not one mention of him breaking them uselessly and ruining the bout. Not one.

[Kyoodle]

Interesting and ultimately enjoyable night of fights on HBO, IMO.

The difference, however, between the two referees in the televised bouts, could not have been starker. In the first bout, Vic Drakulich, did a fine job and was only in camera range when he really needed to be. He let the men fight, applied discretion in stopping the action or breaking the clinches and did an eminently-competent job.

In the feature bout Joe Cortez continued to show why he is among the most-criticized third men in the ring on most internet boxing forums. His constant interference into the action, his premature halting of ANY in-fighting, his penalizing by one point of Maidana, for an elbow that did not land on either Khan or himself, all contributed to the indictment against Cortez' credibility and unbiased nature as a referee. That he continues to draw major assignments is truly one of life's mysteries at this point.

As to the fights themselves, I don't think either Ortiz or Peterson--despite engaging in what became a fan-friendly tilt--gained much with either the majority draw decision or what they showed in the ring. Frankly, if this were the 1980's, when televised boxing was on every major broadcast network on virtually every weekend, with nightly shows from Atlantic City, these two guys would be undercard material. Ortiz is one-dimensional; strong, willing and apparently eager to leave the questions about his fighting heart in the past. Peterson--game as he is--shows a lot of bad, amateurish habits, with balance, footwork and good punching form all in need of improvement.

Not having been a huge fan of Khan before tonight, I must admit to having changed my view of him after the gutsy win over Maidana. His handspeed, movement and choice of combinations are a testament to his skills set and to the influence of Roach on his career. The fortitude to stand up to some of the punishing right hands he ate from Maidana--even coming back with answering flurries on several occasions earlier in the fight--really impressed me, and make me think they will have forged a tougher fighter for the future.

Maidana, as it has been noted so well earlier in this thread by proto and hags, relies way too much on his power, and needs to up his movement, footspeed and, most importantly, his workrate if he is to compete with the elite in what is officially now my favorite division in the sport. I LOVE his take/give no quarter attitude, which reminds me somewhat of a young Duran.



Regards,
Kyoodle

[Kyoodle]

I am glad I am not the only one. I almost punched the wall from how many times I was utterly wild with anger at Cortez breaking them for no damn reason. Have you any idea how many fights he has CONSTANTLY done this in. What the fuck is going on with that, it ruins the fight. He ruins the Soto v Francisco fight, leaves the other boxer on the floor unattended and now its the IBHOF, ok whatever. No one seems to know WTF is going on anymore at ringside, not one mention of him breaking them uselessly and ruining the bout. Not one.

I neglected to note what round it occurred in, but there was some real serious jawing in Spanish going on between Maidana and Cortez at one point, with the action actually stopped. Very unprofessionally, Cortez stood there posturing and screaming at Maidana, yet not ONE word was uttered by the crack HBO team on what could have been transpiring. Prior to that, his taking of a point from Maidana for no valid reason, and his complete ignoring of Khan's landing a couple of punches after the bell (in the 2nd?), all pointed to yet another night of incompetence from the putrid Cortez.

As for the post-fight "interview" with Maidana, it seemed like it was HE who chose to take the one Merchant question and then skedaddle outta there.

Kyoodle

[walshb]

Well, I knew from the first time I saw Khan in 2004 aged 17 that he had the skills to be a very very good fighter. I haven't seen the fight, but was told it was a cracker and that Amir deserved the decision. Hope to get to see
it soon.

Greg

Will PM you my details. Jan issue of Ring, I guess?

[prodigious1]

The boy becomes a man. With lotsa help from Cortez.

[apollack]

What I wrote before the fight in the CBZ modern forum betting odds thread:

“Don't be surprised if Peterson gives Ortiz all he can handle, IF Peterson can deal with Ortiz's power. IF Peterson can deal with the power, I think Peterson's style is exactly that which can make it a very close fight with Ortiz.”

Analysis of the fight:

Peterson has some decent defensive skills, good speed, but very little power, and he isn’t a real physical guy, and he doesn’t know how to WIN against the elite guys. He’ll give everyone a competitive fight though because his style is designed to not make it easy on you.

Ortiz is a power puncher who should be knocking guys out, but he has based his career and style subsequent to the Maidana fight upon what he learned about himself in that fight. He has a questionable chin, so-so defense, questionable condition, and so-so heart. He now relies on power-punching in spots and in spurts, with lots more footwork, slower pace, limiting length of exchanges, and killing the clock or allowing his opponent to kill the clock. At this point, Ortiz is perfectly content with a semi-dull decision. He needs to continue to work on his defense if he ever expects to defeat the truly elite of the division. I thought Ortiz eeked it, but wouldn’t make a fuss about a draw in that fight. I think more close fights should be draws if one fighter does not clearly earn the fight.

What I wrote before the Khan-Maidana fight on this Khan-Maidana thread:

“Maidana is the fighter. Khan is the boxer. Maidana has the gamer, tougher qualities. I see Khan trying to use his height, reach, footwork, and speed to win on points, but Maidana will use his bull strength, two-fisted attack, and condition to try to maul and wear him out.

I hope there isn't some house ref who allows Khan to grab to hold Maidana safe, and constantly prematurely break them and push Maidana back. Not what boxing needs. Maidana should be allowed to rough him up inside if Khan illegally grabs. I will be rooting for the real fighter, Maidana, who is just a thrill to watch. I like ass beaters, and he is it.

I think Khan's defense is porous and his punching at times sloppy, and he leaves his head way up in the air, no head movement, at times poor guard, and he lunges and leans forward as he throws, leaving himself vulnerable. I think with such weaknesses, if he doesn't either starch Maidana or get serious respect early, that Marcos is somewhere going to land some bombs and take him out. We'll see.”

Fight analysis: This was a wonderful fight, either fight of the year or second place to Marquez-Katsidis.

Khan showed blazing speed, pretty good pop on his punches, fast footwork, and wonderful condition. I don’t know how he kept up that amount of footwork and quick combinations for as long as he did. This was a testament to his hard work in the gym and showed that he took this fight deadly seriously. As expected, Khan fought as the boxer, but he showed enough speed, footwork, and pop to get some respect and frustrate Maidana just enough, especially after that huge body shot in round 1 dropped Maidana.

Without that phenomenal condition, blazing speed and quick almost nonstop footwork, and grabbing, and yes, assistance from the biased house ref with incessantly quick breaks, Khan would never have finished this fight upright. And yet, even with all that to his advantage, Khan was still very badly hurt late in the fight. Khan proved that his chin is better than the glass that folks have been claiming it to be, and that he has heart and toughness, no doubt, but also that he can indeed be hit quite solidly and be hurt badly.

Do not underestimate the amount of punishment that Amir took in this fight. He still has gaping holes in his defense, which nearly cost him the fight. He has to rely on his talent to get him through, rather than his skills. I would actually say that Maidana landed the most effective blows and administered the most punishment in this fight. Amir is the one whom I think should take some time off to recover, and to work on his defensive skills, whereas like a Chavez, Maidana could probably be back in the ring in a couple of months.

In fact, this fight shows the difference between the modern fighter, modern scoring, and old school fighters and scoring. In the old days, this fight would have been for 20 rounds, or even 15 rounds, and Maidana would have won by knockout. In the old days, even with 12 rounds, when fights were awarded based on an overall impression of the body of work done, Maidana would have won the decision, or obtained no less than a draw, owing to his aggression, harder punches, more effective overall lands, by administering the most punishment, finishing the fight stronger, and showing that if the fight was fought to the finish, that he would have likely emerged victorious. Based on the old school criteria, he is the superior fighter. However, with the modern points system, with round by round scoring, with the flurry, move, grab style, shorter number of rounds, and friendly refs who help that style of fighter by preventing infighting and forcing quick breaks (and take a point off Maidana for an elbow that misses but no points off for Khan’s blows after the bell or excessive grabbing), guys like Maidana will have trouble earning close decisions.

This is exactly why folks on the old school forums still argue that the old school fighters are indeed superior, despite modern advancements. Actually, the argument shouldn’t be about whether old school fighters were better, but rather which modern fighters they should be compared to. There are several modern fighters who are champions who would not last with the old school fighter, and several modern fighters who keep losing close decisions, but who might be all-time-great old school fighters if they could fight in that era, like Glen Johnson, and like Marcos Maidana.

Speaking of Maidana, I think his defense is highly underrated. He keeps a nice guard, moves his head well, and manages for the most part to make sure you don’t land a whole lot of solid effective blows that will deter him for very long. Sure he got hit here and there when Khan threw those lightning combinations. Who wouldn’t? But watch how he rolls away or ducks or makes the blows glance or how he picks them on arms and gloves, or moves back from the punches, and makes sure that he remains calm under fire, and then continues to pressure Khan and make him work hard. Then compare that with the quality of the lands when Maidana lands those uppercuts and overhand rights on Khan, which force Amir to grab or run away for dear life. Now you are seeing the difference. Maidana was game to the end, stalking him, always confident that he would break him down, firing hard punches all the way with his heavy hands. You’ve got to love him.

Marcos Maidana should also be given credit for showing the heart of an old school warrior. Not many fighters in the modern era would have risen from that devastating body punch in the 1st round, and even fewer could have recovered sufficiently to have put up the fight that Maidana did. I truly admire him.

[mrbig1]

I love it when both guys come to fight. I haven't seen a lot of Khan, But heard all the hype. Madaina is from the same hometown as Carlos Monzon. To bad he doesn't have his talent. He is one tough mofo. A guy that comes to fight. This was a damn good fight. I hope I see more of both of them.

[walshb]

I Prior to that, his taking of a point from Maidana for no valid reason, and his complete ignoring of Khan's landing a couple of punches after the bell (in the 2nd?), all pointed to yet another night of incompetence from the putrid Cortez.
Kyoodle

So, only a point should be taken if the foul connects, is that how it
should work? The intent was deliberate, and Maidana wanted to elbow
his opponent. That absolutely deserves a punishment. That would be no different than a fighter throwing a kick which doesn't connect and then gets away with it. Gotta disagree completely, Kyoodle.

[walshb]

So Amir Khan finally tries tackles the demons of his Breidis Prescott loss and takes on only the second puncher of his career, Marcos Maidana this Saturday.

Khan came up as the golden boy on terrestrial television getting huge fame & money whacking a series of small (and arguably) handpicked opponents before transferring to Sky PPV and getting wasted in 54 secs by Prescott.

Since then he got an empty, meaningless technical decision over the bloated ghost of Barrera when a clash of heads sliced the oldboy open in round 1, widely outpointed Andreas Kotelnik to win the WBA strap in a coma-inducing snoozefest and has defended it twice against two undemanding & unqualified challengers.

The question here is can Khan evade Maidana for 12 rds without getting into any trouble. Khan has been ironed out by Freddie Roach but then again the opponents he's faced haven't been able to test him or hurt him the way the likes of Prescott and Maidana can.

He boxed Kotelnik with the kind of fear & caution you'd reserve for Earnie Shavers and Kotelnik has never been a hitter. He also had a habit of cupping his gloves & looking down the rare times Kotelnik attacked which makes me wonder how he'll cope when Maidana swarms him with punches coming from every angle.

Still Maidana by kayo for me, might lose a few rds first, I think he's too tough, experienced and hits too hard for a guy who's been groomed for stardom and steered clear of the nasty hurtful guys like the Argie he's apparently been forced into fighting for credibility's sake this Saturday.

You are gone very quiet, OHR.

[gregbeyer]

adam,

i had your previous posts in mind all thru the fight. when i saw joe cortez seated in the crowd during the ortiz-peterson fight wearing a bow tie i was heart sick and sure enough he made a mess out of the fight. the guy has become so intrusive in the bouts he refs it has become an obstacle for fighters to perform.

his constant breaks while khan was holding and maidana punching was maddening. in the 10th with khan reeling and maidana gassed the cortez-khan combo was too much for marco to overcome. i am not sure what would have happened with out the interference but marco was certainly hampered by it.

somebody here mentioned that marco suffers from a love of his power like ernie shavers did and that is a sound statement. while he shows admirable courage and aggression i would like to see him polish up his skill. with khan circling usually in the same direction marco never attempted to cut the ring off but rather just chased him. had he been more adept at cutting off the ring he could have conserved a lot of energy and had more left at the end. as it was he was a quart low of stopping khan.

greg

[diggity]

I shuddered the moment I saw Cortez in the ring. I knew he would fuck this fight up and he didn't disappoint.

Regardless, I give Khan a lot of credit for this fight. He was in great condition, showed some of his best stuff yet and faced some demons in the process. Obviously he still needs some work on defense and serious lessons on where to keep his head. It's one thing to know what to do defensively but another to do it instinctively when under fire, which Khan does not. It certainly wasn't pretty at the end but he is still young and a work in progress for Roach. Khan fought bravely and it's a testament to his improvement that he didn't go down to Maidana regardless of how hurt he was. There was a point or 2 where maybe he should have taken a knee to get a breather or spit out a mouth piece or something, but he didn't. He showed heart, skills, talent and put on a great show for the fans. There's not much more a boxing fan can ask for. I'm eager to see him improve under Roach as well as see where his talents take him. Despite his few mistakes, I felt Khan was well prepared for the fight. I imagine getting the opportunity to spar with Manny paid dividends in this fight.

If he learned anything from this fight, I hope it's that if your opponent doesn't respectfully touch gloves in the beginning of a fight, don't try to get him to do it later.

[Kid Dynamite]

Fun fight!

Khan has some fast hands and some nice pop but he better tighten up that defense. I was shocked that he made till the end of the fight. He showed a lot of guts out there.

Maidana is tough as nails and I was sure he had Khan out of there in the late rounds. I wonder how good he can be if he actually worked out footwork and setting up his power punches instead boaring in and loading up on every punch.

Cortez is a jackass. Someone earlier made reference to Cortez having a confrontational conversation with Maidana at one point in the fight. Cortez was actually scolding him in Spanish "Is there a problem?! Is there a problem?!". Maidana simply looked down and nodded his head no. Very unproffesional of Cortez...

[prototypeofamodernmadman]

how about those body shots? this seems a little strange to me and it appears to be a problem with Roach and his directions in the corner, in the Pac - Marg fight, Pac absolutely folded Margarito and hurt him badly in the fourth round with body shots and then failed to throw any more significant body shots for the remainder of the fight opting to throw a 100 head shots when he could obviously not stagger or hurt Marg with those head shots,

then, last night, Khan lands one of the hardest body shaking hooks to Maidana's body, and I didn't think Maidana was going to get up, and then Khan is a head hunter for the rest of the night when Maidana is obviously not being hurt to the head very badly, with Khan's hand speed advantage, especially early, he should have been able to land that same hook to the same spot without worrying about the incoming,

I want to get back to the post fight interview again, I understand that Maidana didn't give a shot about answering Larry's questions, my girlfriends father who watched the fight with me remarked that Maidana didn't give a shit about the interview because he is just a "rough, tough guy" the Khan interview was strange however, Khan coming off of his biggest victory and he only gets asked one question? maybe it was the family, I read later that they forced Khan to leave the post fight after 10 minutes to go to the hospital,

and for some more Cortez bashing, I read on fightnews that Maidana also bashed Cortez in the post fight presser stating that

“If felt like I was fighting both [the referee and Khan],” said Maidana. “At one point, I thought the referee was even going to punch me.

“He [the referee] kept telling me to, ‘Fight clean! Fight clean!’ I was trying to, but felt Amir was holding too much and wouldn’t let me work.”

good fight, I was a huge critic of Khan before this bout but he looked really good,

[Kyoodle]

So, only a point should be taken if the foul connects, is that how it
should work? The intent was deliberate, and Maidana wanted to elbow
his opponent. That absolutely deserves a punishment. That would be no different than a fighter throwing a kick which doesn't connect and then gets away with it. Gotta disagree completely, Kyoodle.

No,Walsh, you are reading my opinion all wrong:

I want CONSISTENCY in a referee, something that has been sorely lacking in most of Cortez' recent performances. Maidana couldn't even see where Khan's head was when he went (rather slowly, IIRC) back with that elbow, and even that was in response to Khan's constant holding. But THAT was enough for Cortez to penalize Maidana a point; Khan throws punches AFTER the bell to end the round and there wasn't even a warning given. Khan repeatedly initiated the clinches, yet Cortez warned BOTH men. Rubbish.

I didn't say I condoned the elbow move, but if we are going to see fighters penalized for INTENT, I vehemently disagree. That is when a good referee issues a warning, unless it's something blatantly dangerous, which I did not think the errant elbow was.

Just as an umpire can have a shitty strike zone, as long as it's shitty for both teams I can respect it. Boxing referees all have their particular bugaboos, but as long as both fighters are open to correction/discipline I have no issue. With Cortez, he always seems to be uneven in meting out enforcement, and last night was no exception.

Regards,
Kyoodle

[Ron Lipton]

It is beyond all comprehension to me how the endless horror of what Mercante junior did in the Cotto v Foreman fight was not mentioned once by HBO, "Suck it up son, move this way, not that way, go this way, ah fuck, ah shit, lying about seeing where the towel came from but chasing the corner man away from trying to stop it BEFORE that, ad infinitum, then saying he did ok?, total fucking bullshit.

You know what, on this forum I backed up Jim Lampley as a writer here after his arrest, saying he was a good person, then he mentions the Jones v Brannon fight during Manny v Margarito. In the films, Jones asks me to stop it, yet right before he does, he is missing punches thrown at Brannon, so how could I stop it then?

Lamps never looks at that, but lets Mercante junior get away with murder with one horror show after another. Then Cortez constantly breaks them prematurely, always mumbling unintelligible commands, always favors one boxer like Mayweather v Hatton, leaves a boxer on the floor bleeding and hurt, ruins the Sotto v Francisco fight and gets every break in NJ from friendship with Larry Hazzard and now the Hall of Fame?

This isn't total political bullshit right? Ok, the king has no clothes, no problem.

Why can't someone on HBO once see what is going on in that ring while it is happening in front of them, why? Maidana was not allowed to fight inside throughout the whole fight. Outrageous.

[rocky111]

Good nite on hbo. I had Ortiz winning. A draw robbed the kid of a earned vic. Terrible judging to my mind.
Khan looked real good with fast hands and all. Lots of guts too. BUT Madaina would have won that fight if Joe Cortez had allowed him to infight. As it was he almost won it and if it was fifteen rounds would have.
The poor refs and favoritism and improper judging (seems like they arent watching the fight) is hurting boxing.
HBO wanted Khan to win and Cortez was in there to make sure he did.
Where the f--k is Ronnie LIpton when we need him?

[JaKob]

Good nite on hbo. I had Ortiz winning. A draw robbed the kid of a earned vic. Terrible judging to my mind.
Khan looked real good with fast hands and all. Lots of guts too. BUT Madaina would have won that fight if Joe Cortez had allowed him to infight. As it was he almost won it and if it was fifteen rounds would have.
The poor refs and favoritism and improper judging (seems like they arent watching the fight) is hurting boxing.
HBO wanted Khan to win and Cortez was in there to make sure he did.
Where the f--k is Ronnie LIpton when we need him?

Don't know if the outcome would of been different, but he certainly was restricted too much on the inside. Khan certainly has talent and real fast hands. I've noticed he tends to be a rather straight up and down, tends to hold his head high, and doesn't implement the level of head movement and footwork/angles i'd expect coming out of the wildcard camp. Certainly promising and hopefully these aspects are developed and polished.

[Ron Lipton]

I would have let Madaina fight all night just like I let Sosa and Williams fight without breaking them up. It always makes a difference just ask Jake Lamotta, Joe Frazier and anyone else who fights inside, take it away from them and the whole fight changes with an unfair advantage.

Joe has been doing that for a long time. Why doesn't the Nevada commission finally say something to change this, even if they do now, who cares, so many matches have gone down the drain with this already.

After the other fiascoes they give this fight to him because of the vote by the BWAA for Canastota? Why not,? junior is refereeing again after Yankee Stadium, doesn't that say it all about who makes the assignments in NY and Nevada. You think they care about the fans or the boxers?

The worse you do the more they like you. Can anyone honestly say other than being sugar sweet about it, that they really know wtf they are doing?

Puuuuuuuhleeeeease spare me.

[walshb]

No,Walsh, you are reading my opinion all wrong:

I want CONSISTENCY in a referee, something that has been sorely lacking in most of Cortez' recent performances. Maidana couldn't even see where Khan's head was when he went (rather slowly, IIRC) back with that elbow, and even that was in response to Khan's constant holding. But THAT was enough for Cortez to penalize Maidana a point; Khan throws punches AFTER the bell to end the round and there wasn't even a warning given. Khan repeatedly initiated the clinches, yet Cortez warned BOTH men. Rubbish.

I didn't say I condoned the elbow move, but if we are going to see fighters penalized for INTENT, I vehemently disagree. That is when a good referee issues a warning, unless it's something blatantly dangerous, which I did not think the errant elbow was.

Just as an umpire can have a shitty strike zone, as long as it's shitty for both teams I can respect it. Boxing referees all have their particular bugaboos, but as long as both fighters are open to correction/discipline I have no issue. With Cortez, he always seems to be uneven in meting out enforcement, and last night was no exception.

Regards,
Kyoodle

I didn't read your opinion wrong. I was focusing on one part of your post.
You didn't think that Maidana should have been penalised for the elbow.
You want to talk about consistency, fair enough, that is separate. BOTH fighters should be penalised if BOTH foul. I agree with that.

[walshb]

Good nite on hbo. I had Ortiz winning. A draw robbed the kid of a earned vic. Terrible judging to my mind.
Khan looked real good with fast hands and all. Lots of guts too. BUT Madaina would have won that fight if Joe Cortez had allowed him to infight. As it was he almost won it and if it was fifteen rounds would have.
The poor refs and favoritism and improper judging (seems like they arent watching the fight) is hurting boxing.
HBO wanted Khan to win and Cortez was in there to make sure he did.
Where the f--k is Ronnie LIpton when we need him?

If it was fiftenn he would have won it? How's that? Maybe, just maybe, Maidana would have had little left after his efforts in rds 10-12. And maybe
Khan would have finished stronger...I wouldb't be so definite either way.