Gamer
08-07-2010, 05:06 PM
c/p By Mark Vester
WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan made a recent appearance on BoxingScene.com's official audio show, Leave It In The Ring, and explained why he's pushing to fight Juan Manuel Marquez, instead of taking the fight with his mandatory challenger, WBA interim-champ Marcos Maidana. Khan plans to return to the ring on December 11 on HBO.
Khan's explained it as a business decision because Marquez has a higher level of name recognition in the United State and England. He respects Maidana as a boxer, but the fight means less money and less hype in both countries. The fight doesn't make sense at this point of time. Khan presented a list of names to Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who also felt Marquez was the best choice for December.
"I'd love to fight Maidana. I gave the instructions to Richard that these are the guys that I want to fight. He thinks at this moment of time, the Marquez fight is a good fight for me financially and it will make me a bigger name. Marquez is a lot bigger name than Maidana," Khan said.
"If I want to build up my name in America, I need to fight Marquez. Maidana, not too many boxing fans in America know him and especially English people don't know who Maidana is....so it won't generate that much money. Boxing is a business as well, but the fight will happen in the future."
Khan also discussed the many critics who question his chin. He doesn't see himself as a chinny fighter and says too many people are focusing on his 54-second loss to Breidis Prescott from 2008. He credits his trainer, Freddie Roach, with making him a much better fighter with a much better defense.
"I think since the defeat, the way I've progressed, I'm a totally different fighter. I think everyone at some point in their career gets knocked down or knocked out. So people go around and say Amir Khan is chinny, but there is nothing chinny because if Prescott would have hit anyone [the same way] like Timothy Bradley or Devon Alexander, he would have knocked them out. He caught me cold. He caught me early in the fight. One punch can change a fight," Khan said.
WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan made a recent appearance on BoxingScene.com's official audio show, Leave It In The Ring, and explained why he's pushing to fight Juan Manuel Marquez, instead of taking the fight with his mandatory challenger, WBA interim-champ Marcos Maidana. Khan plans to return to the ring on December 11 on HBO.
Khan's explained it as a business decision because Marquez has a higher level of name recognition in the United State and England. He respects Maidana as a boxer, but the fight means less money and less hype in both countries. The fight doesn't make sense at this point of time. Khan presented a list of names to Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who also felt Marquez was the best choice for December.
"I'd love to fight Maidana. I gave the instructions to Richard that these are the guys that I want to fight. He thinks at this moment of time, the Marquez fight is a good fight for me financially and it will make me a bigger name. Marquez is a lot bigger name than Maidana," Khan said.
"If I want to build up my name in America, I need to fight Marquez. Maidana, not too many boxing fans in America know him and especially English people don't know who Maidana is....so it won't generate that much money. Boxing is a business as well, but the fight will happen in the future."
Khan also discussed the many critics who question his chin. He doesn't see himself as a chinny fighter and says too many people are focusing on his 54-second loss to Breidis Prescott from 2008. He credits his trainer, Freddie Roach, with making him a much better fighter with a much better defense.
"I think since the defeat, the way I've progressed, I'm a totally different fighter. I think everyone at some point in their career gets knocked down or knocked out. So people go around and say Amir Khan is chinny, but there is nothing chinny because if Prescott would have hit anyone [the same way] like Timothy Bradley or Devon Alexander, he would have knocked them out. He caught me cold. He caught me early in the fight. One punch can change a fight," Khan said.