Amir Khan: Can Any Junior Welterweight Deal with his Wrath?
By Joe Wilson
Just a few streets over from the highway that leads to boxing megastars, Floyd Mayweather, JR., and Manny Pacquiao, of the welterweight division, lies a division just south of it, called the “junior welterweight division.”
This division is starting to heat up with exciting competition and big fights.
With the likes of young stars with big names emerging, how can this division go unnoticed?
There is some serious talent boiling in this weight class. Names like, Tim Bradley, Devon Alexander, Marcos Maidana, Victor Ortiz, Andriy Kotelnik and Amir Khan, and his most recent wipeout of Paulie Malignaggi.
Competition like this can definitely heat things up in this division.
Don’t forget that Juan Manuel Marquez in still lurking here. Not to mention, Zab Judah has also made comments of camping out right here in this division. There is also Juan Urango who is still ranked in the top ten.
Most of these fighters came up from smaller weight divisions with outstanding records.
So what that says about the future of this division, speaks for itself. Exciting fights ahead! Sometimes we as fights fans can become a little too zoomed in on what’s happening with our two favorite welterweights; And you know who?
It seems that we’ve forgot about the smoking guns just two streets over. These little guys are taking care of business.
WBA Champion, Amir Khan already had size and speed working in his favor, but his choice of hiring trainer Freddie Roach has made him a much more formidable opponent.
Roach seemed to have really helped the form of Khan. His style of boxing is very tight and in tact. If he can continue to fight the type of fight he fought against Malignaggi, he is going to be a real force in this weight class.
Khan truly dominated and outclassed “The Magic Man” over eleven rounds, before the referee stepped in a saved Malignaggi from getting hurt. Khan landed at will on him from the beginning of the bell until the stoppage. It seemed that Malignaggi could not land his punches.
Every time he attempted, Khan made him pay, countering with big combinations behind a good jab.
Brooklyn’s Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi, has been ranked in the top ten of the junior welterweight division and is the former IBF Junior Welterweight Champion. Malignaggi is known for his speed and “flashy style” which made him an exciting fighter to watch. He now has a record of 27- 4, 5 KO’s.
Malignaggi has to do some deep soul searching after this loss, because he was outclassed in every round.
The fiasco leading up to this fight during the weigh-in the day before was all hype on his end. Khan was too much for him and backed up his ugly pre-fight comments with a world-class showcase.
With a record of 23-1, 17 KO’s, Amir Khan is the WBA Junior Welterweight Champion of the World. Hats off to trainer Roach, because his fighter looked more polished than ever.
Amir Khan is a name on the rise. Many of us have not heard of him much here in the United States, but I have a feeling it’s just the beginning.
If Manny Pacquiao should lose his fight against Floyd Mayweather, JR., and that’s a great possibility, when and if that fight materializes, he could easily take a step back south to this division.
Because of the talent here, not to mention the urgency and hunger from these fighters to get worldwide recognition, the heat is only going to get hotter.
Pacquiao would definitely have enough in this division to keep him busy.
These fighters here in the junior welterweight division are improving rapidly. Floyd Mayweather JR. will not be making anymore appearances at this weight class.
Manny Pacquiao is probably more dangerous at this weight than at welterweight.
So there will definitely be life after Floyd Mayweather JR., when it comes to boxing for Manny Pacquiao, if he chooses to do so. These streets run so close to each other, that the heat from one could easily be felt on the other.