Britain`s WBA champion Amir Khan says his superior speed and punching power will make the difference when he defends his super lightweight title against Marcos Maidana in his first Las Vegas fight.
|Last Updated: Oct 06, 2010, 09:31 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Los Angeles: Britain`s WBA champion Amir Khan says his superior speed and punching power will make the difference when he defends his super lightweight title against Marcos Maidana in his first Las Vegas fight.
The 23-year-old Bolton fighter, who is based in California, last fought in May when he defeated American Paulie Malignaggi in New York.
Khan, 23-1 17 KOs, will fight Maidana, his mandatory challenger, on December 11 at the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino.
"We know exactly what to do and how to beat him," Khan said at a news conference Tuesday at the Congo Room club in downtown Los Angeles. "People say he is a big hitter but I hit just as hard with speed.”
"I think I am going to come in as a bigger puncher I have the power to put him down."
Maidana, 27, is regarded as a dangerous fighter having racked up a record of 29 wins and one defeat with 27 knockouts.
"I want to be in the best form of my life. I got this opportunity and I want to make the best of it," Argentina`s Maidana said Tuesday.
Khan, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, said he doesn`t get enough credit for his punching power.
"I am not scared of him (Maidana) or anyone. Do I look scared? It is a big challenge for me but I am excited and feel confident. I will put him in his place."
Maidana`s trainer Miguel Diaz said both fighters are in their prime.
"It will be a tremendous fight. They are not over the hill at 34 or 35 years old. They are in the prime of their careers."
Khan had wanted to take the fight to England but made concessions to get the contract signed.
"I really wanted to fight in England but this is a bigger fight in the US," he said.
Khan left immediately after the news conference to travel to the Philippines to train with Manny Pacquiao and legendary boxing trainer Freddie Roach. He will also be heading to Dallas next month for Pacquiao`s world title fight at Cowboys Stadium against Antonio Margarito.
Khan will do some light sparring with Pacquiao in the Philippines but the main purpose of the trip is to work with Roach on technique.
"Freddie knows what technique to use and what game plan to follow to win a fight," Khan said.
Khan will be fighting for just the second time in the United States. He stopped Malignaggi in the 11th round of a one-sided fight.
Both Khan and Maidana fought Andreas Kotelnik in 2009. Maidana, who has 23 KOs in the first three rounds, has won four consecutive fights since dropping a split decision to Kotelnik in February. Just five months later, Khan beat Kotelnik in 12 rounds for the WBA title.
Khan`s younger brother, Haroon Khan, is competing at the Commonwealth Games in India fighting for Pakistan and saying he had been snubbed by England boxing officials. The 19-year-old boxer is fighting under the name Haroon Iqbal rather than Khan.
Khan said he spoke to his brother over the phone and gave him some advice.
"I told him the hard work and training he has put in is going to pay off."
Khan said Haroon had no other choice but to fight for Pakistan.
"It is good for him to go to the Commonwealth Games regardless of fighting for Pakistan. If he wasn`t fighting for Pakistan he wouldn`t have had the chance to fight in the Commonwealth Games. He would not have gotten the experience."
Khan said it was a mistake not to take Haroon for the England team.
"It is one of those things," Khan said. "He wasn`t even on the second team or the third team. When he has already won the nationals and they don`t pick him, then there is something wrong there."
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.