Roach: Ariza’s absence not a factor in Khan’s KO loss to Garcia

by Lem Satterfield


Five-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach says the absence of strength and conditioning guru Alex Ariza for only the second time in Amir Khan’s past 10 fights was not among the reasons that the former titleholder was knocked out in the fourth round by Danny Garcia in last Saturday night’s HBO-televised bout.
Garcia’s triumph added Khan’s WBA junior welterweight belt as well as the division’s RING championship to the WBC crown he already owned, this, after referee Kenny Bayless asked Khan if he still could continue before waving an end to the fight at 2 minutes, 28 seconds following the third knockdown — the second of the fourth round.
During an interview with RingTV.com, Bayless said that among the reasons was the fact that “in my opinion, Amir’s leg’s were shot, and his balance was off.”
Ariza, who has been replaced by Ruben Tabares, could not be reached for commment. But during an interview with RingTV.com nearly a year ago to the day, Ariza said that the strengthening of the legs is important in supporting the neck.
“I don’t think that [Ariza's absence was a factor.] The new strength coach is a hurdler,” said Roach, who has denied that Khan has specifically expressed the desire to end their association, contrary to reports.
“And I don’t think that Amir’s legs gave out in three rounds. I thought that the new guy did a very good job. But Ariza is very good at what he does also.”
In the past, Ariza contended that it was the strength in Khan’s legs that facilitated his survival through the treacherous 10th round of his unanimous decision victory over Marcos Maidana in December of 2010.

“When he was hurt by Marcos Maidana, I told Freddie that all we needed was about 15 seconds and that he would come right back. I think that the biggest misconception is that theory about the chin, and this is just a theory of mine, and that is that the strength of the chin has to do with something in the neck or the jaw muscles or things like that. But really, when you get hit, what’s the first thing that goes? The legs. So, so much of my work that I do for these fighters is that I concentrate on the legs,” said Ariza.
“So the drills, the balancing, the positions I put them in where the legs are stable when you’re completely fatigued, I think that that was the key element for Amir against Marcos Maidana. I knew that once Amir was able to get a few seconds in, moving around, that his legs would find their stability because they had been there before. Amir has been there where he feels like they’re not under him and things like that. So these are things that we’ve done before, so it was nothing new for him to feel like that and to recover from it.”
Khan began working with Roach and Ariza following his 54-second knockout loss to Breidis Prescott as a lightweight in Sept. of 2008.
From there, Khan won eight straight fights, four of them by knockout, and earned two title belts. That stretch also included knockouts of New Yorkers Zab Judah and Paulie Malignaggi, as well as victories over former beltholders Maidana, Marco Antonio Barrera and Andreas Kotelnik.
The loss to Garcia was the second in a row for Khan, whose winning streak under Roach ended with December’s controversial split-decision loss to Lamont Peterson.

Ariza was absent from Khan’s corner just one other time during the winning spree — that being Khan’s six-round, technical decision victory over Paul McCloskey in April of last year — but returned for Khan’s fifth-round stoppage of Judah.
Khan also shares Roach with eight-division titlewinner Manny Pacquiao and WBC middleweight titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., whose respective training regimens took place in preparation for title bouts they participated in last month.
First into the ring was Pacquiao, who dropped a controversial split-decision to then-WBO junior welterweight titleholder Tim Bradley that dethroned him as WBO welterweight beltholder on June 9. A week later on June 16, Chavez Jr. scored an impressive seventh-round knockout victory over southpaw challenger Andy Lee.
Roach said Khan chose to end his relationship during a stretch when Ariza left the Philippines, where Khan was training alongside Pacquiao, to be with Chavez Jr.
“Alex left Amir high and dry in the Philippines, and we had to make a choice. We had to go with someone else, and Ruben was available and Ruben did very well,” said Roach.
“He put Amir on a very, very good diet, Amir made weight very easily. He made weight four days before the fight. I thought that Ruben did a very good job.”

Chavez Jr. will be back in the ring on Sept. 15 for a defense against RING champion Sergio Martinez. Pacquiao has a targeted return date of Nov. 10, perhaps against Bradley or for a fourth bout opposite Juan Manuel Marquez, with whom Pacquiao has battled through a draw, as well as split- and majority decision victories, respectively.
Roach said that he expects Khan to return to the ring in December, adding that he would like to get a rematch with Garcia. Roach also said that he recently met with Khan and the fighter’s father, Shah Khan, regarding how to navigate the time spent working with Chavez Jr., Pacquiao and Khan in the future.
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Photo by Naoki Fukuda
Photo by Tom Hogan, Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions
Photo by Naoki Fukuda
Photo by Tom Hogan, Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions

Amir Can't

Amir Can't

by Danny Richardson

www.SplitDecisionBoxingNews.com

As you will know by now, on Saturday night, Olympic silver medallist and former world champion Amir 'King' Khan was shockingly knocked out in four rounds by WBC champion Danny 'Swift' Garcia, at the Mandalay Bay resort, Las Vegas. Khan, who suffered the third defeat of his career, was caught with a huge left hand in the third round, and never really recovered as he went on to be stopped after a torrid fourth session. Garcia, who extended his unbeaten record, had struggled for the first two rounds of the contest, the American having no reply for Khan's superior speed and footwork in the opening stages.

However, Garcia showed his power by landing a peach of a shot on the Bolton man, leaving an all too familiar site, Khan on unsteady legs as he had been in previous contests against Marcos Maidana and Breidis Prescott. The shocking defeat has left some in the boxing world calling for Khan to retire, while some question his relationship with Freddy Roach and others point out Khan's weakness in the chin department. There are a lot of questions to be asked of Khan following Saturday night, and I'm not sure whether he'll ever recover.

We shouldn't forget that Khan started like a house on fire though. For the first 7 or so minutes, he swarmed Garcia with shots, buzzing in and out of range and causing some damage to Garcia's face after the very first round. His sublime speed caught Garcia out, and until the fateful left hand which sent him crashing to the canvas, it looked for all the world like Khan would force a stoppage in the later rounds.

However - as is always the case with Khan, his defence deserted him. For a man who has a glass jaw, he keeps his hands perilously low, and when he's caught flush, his legs do a silly dance. That was the case again on Saturday, as he never really recovered from the knockdown. Don't get me wrong, it was a peach of a shot and Garcia has a reputation as a big puncher, but at the level Khan is at, particularly with his chin worries, he shouldn't be getting caught with shots like that. You have to wonder, when will he ever learn?

I say that, because he has all the attributes to be a good boxer. He has decent power and a decent boxing ability, but with his blinding speed and terrific jab, he should be keeping fights at range and peppering opponents with shots. That type of style would make him difficult to beat (but not unbeatable) and he'd be beating fighters like Garcia and Lamont Peterson comfortably. He doesn't need to sit down on his shots and aim to get fighters out of there early, because he would overwhelm opponents with punches, forcing stoppages late on.

But for some reason, ever since the Prescott defeat, Khan seems to set out to prove that he has a chin and can stand and trade with big punchers. He wants to get involved in tear ups, he wants to prove that he can take a shot. Why? The whole boxing world knows that he can't stand and trade, we all know that he can't take a shot, we all know that he takes a while to recover after getting hurt. So why take the risk of getting blown away? In the fourth round on Saturday, he egged Garcia onto him when he was clearly hurt. He wanted to stand and trade, he didn't hold or run for his life like he should have done, and he was eventually stopped. He's brave yes, but he's too brave for his own good.

This is a problem he's had for all of his career. It's not like this has just come to light, he's been getting hurt in fights even before Prescott. He was floored early in his career against Michael Gomez and Willie Limond, and after Prescott, he was rocked against Maidana and Peterson. Khan cannot take a shot, yet he wants to prove that he can. He should start by getting that ridiculous mentality out of his head, because until he learns he doesn't need to stand and trade or take a risk, he won't go very far. He might lose some of the entertainment value, but at least he'll be winning.

The other problem he has is his attitude. In my opinion, he's too big for his boots. There's nothing wrong with confidence or ambition, but all we've heard before his last two fights, is "I'm a superstar" "I'm more known in America than Kell Brook is in England" "I want Floyd Mayweather" "I can beat Floyd Mayweather" and "Younger fighters hang onto my name". This type of attitude isn't doing him any favours whatsoever, because in England, his home nation, there are a hell of a lot of people who want to see him lose. I'll be honest, I don't like Khan either, particularly because of his attitude. After another defeat, he'll most likely come back to England and hope to rebuild, but will he have as big as a fan base as he thinks he does? I don't think he will, in fact, if he goes on to fight Kell Brook, I think Brook would be the fan favourite.

Also, he won't be getting a fight with Mayweather any time soon, in fact he shouldn't even be mentioning 'Money' in the same sentence as himself. He isn't in Mayweather's league, so to talk about fighting him and beating him is ludicrous. Also, he hasn't been focusing on the task in front of him when he's mentioning Mayweather, and for me, he's underestimated opponents, particularly in the case of Lamont Peterson. He's been guilty of looking past opponents, and that's added to his list of problems. He needs a reality check, and I hope that Saturday has done that for him, because the way he's been talking, you'd think he was already at the top of the game, when he has a hell of a long way to go.

So what's next? He'll almost definitely fight in England, because he won't be able to headline a Vegas show coming off a defeat like Saturday's. But who against? I've heard rumours that Ashley Theophane may be in the mix, as well as Kell Brook - which everyone in England wants to see. That of course would mean a step up to welterweight - but would that do Khan any favours?

If Khan has been getting put down as a lightweight and light welterweight, then a move up to welterweight won't help. There are some big punchers at welterweight, and I can guarantee you, if Khan was to move up to 147lbs, he will find his legs doing a silly dance again. He hasn't got the power to blast away welterweights, and he hasn't got the chin to take some of the shots. If he isn't the best in the light welterweight division, he hasn't a prayer in the welterweight class. With fighters such as Kell Brook, Victor Ortiz, Andre Berto, Manny Pacquiao and of course Floyd Mayweather, I can safely say Khan won't dominate a weight class as he wants to.

I would love to see Khan face Kell Brook now, because after all the things Khan has had to say, he's coming off a loss and I think should he move up a weight, he will be begging to face Brook. It's the biggest fight domestically out there for him, so it all of a sudden makes a lot of sense. I would love Brook to beat Khan personally, and I hope the fight comes off.

He may chase a rematch with Garcia, even maybe Lamont Peterson should he be allowed to fight following his positive drugs test, but I don't see either of those happening. All of a sudden, the suggestion that Khan should retire doesn't look as stupid as it first sounds. Glen McCrory, the Sky pundit, reckons Khan should retire now, and I have to agree with his argument. Khan can't mix it with the elite in my opinion, and never will be able to. He is a world level fighter, but can he ever be regarded as one of the best? Not for me, because let's be honest, Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia will never be Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Timothy Bradley dominated Peterson, while Garcia didn't look the best in beating an ancient Erik Morales.

If I'm honest, Khan shouldn't retire, because I still feel he has something to offer - but only to a certain degree. He will never be one of the elite fighters, because he simply hasn't got the ability. When you look at it, he has blinding speed, but that's about it. He hasn't got a boxing brain - he's only showed he can follow instructions against Andriy Kotelnik to win the world title, but apart from that, he seems to do whatever he wants, and although he may be exciting, he doesn't look terrific in doing it. Khan will always be one of those fighters who may be in and out of a world title, but he will never be a dominant champion.

I've heard suggestions he should leave Freddie Roach, and I don't think that's a bad idea. He will always play second fiddle to Manny Pacquiao, and although Roach has improved Khan as a fighter, he is an offensive minded trainer, while Khan clearly needs to work on his defence. Maybe a change in camp wouldn't be the worst thing, and don't be surprised if Khan splits from Roach in the near future.

I've tried to be fair in my analysis of Khan, but if I'm brutally honest, I'm not a fan of his and maybe that has played a part in my opinions. But, I genuinely believe that Khan isn't good enough to be a permanent fixture at world level, and that's the bottom line. I think he's been over hyped to a certain extent, and his attitude hasn't won him many fans in Britain and I doubt he'll ever be a massive fan favourite.

Even following his defeat, he has come out and said he's in a better division and fought better fighters than Carl Froch, following quotes from Froch that he would retire if he was in Khan's shoes (Froch was misquoted however, he meant he would retire if he had been knocked out like Khan was). That type of comment from Khan isn't winning him fans and it's delusional. Let's be honest, the opposition he's beat have been good, but not at an elite level. Khan can come back and be at a good level, but it's about time he realised, he will never be great.

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Mayweather- SI's Top Paid Athlete

Mayweather- Top Paid Athlete
by Lem Satterfield

The honors continue to roll in for unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr., even though he still is behind bars serving an 87-day jail sentence that began on June 1.
Mayweather has been named the highest-paid American athlete for 2012, an honor that tops Sports Illustrated’s Fortunate 50 ahead of golfers Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods at Nos. 2 and 3.
Nicknamed “Money,” Mayweather made $85 million for two fights last year, including his fourth-round knockout victory in September that dethroned Victor Ortiz as WBC welterweight belholder.
Last month, Mayweather topped Forbes’ list of its 100 highest paid athletes internationally, trumping second-place boxing rival Manny Pacquiao with $62 million from earnings and endorsements.
On July 11, Mayweather (43-0, 26 knockouts) was named “The Best Fighter,” or, what is essentially Fighter of The Year at the ESPYs’, trumping other nominees such as RING super middleweight champion Andre Ward and mixed martial arts stars Jon Jones and Anderson Silva.
Mayweather was chosen for the fourth time in the past six years by the ESPY’s, with Pacquiao taking the honors the other two times, including for 2011.
In May, Mayweather earned an all-time boxing record guaranteed purse of $32 million for his unanimous decision victory that dethroned Miguel Cotto as WBC junior middleweight beltholder.
Photos by Tom Hogan, Hoganphotos, Golden Boy Promotions
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Amir Khan reinstated as WBA Champion

Amir Khan reinstated as WBA Champion
by Dan Rafael

Although England's Amir Khan lost his last fight, he will walk into the ring for his bout with junior welterweight titleholder Danny Garcia with a belt of his own.
The WBA on Wednesday announced it has stripped Lamont Peterson and reinstated Khan as its 140-pound "super" titleholder, which means the fight with Garcia on Saturday night (HBO, 11 ET) at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas will be to unify Khan's title with Garcia's WBC belt.
"This decision was taken after the positive doping result of the American Lamont Peterson, confirmed by the medical experts," the WBA said in a statement.
Khan (26-2, 18 KOs) lost both of his title belts to Peterson in December via controversial split decision in Peterson's hometown of Washington, D.C., but their May 19 rematch was canceled less than two weeks before the fight when Peterson tested positive for the banned substance synthetic testosterone in a random urine test.
Because Peterson admitted that testosterone pellets had been implanted in him shortly before the December fight -- he claims for medical reasons -- and he has delayed a licensing hearing before the Nevada State Athletic Commission three times, the WBA made the decision to vacate his belt and reinstate Khan.
Peterson also holds the IBF title, but that organization is awaiting the outcome of his Nevada hearing, which won't take place until August at the earliest.
Khan was happy to have at least one of his belts back, even under the odd circumstances.
"It's thrilling to know that because I think they've seen there was some wrong and they have made the first move," Khan said of the WBA. "I'm glad that the title will be on the line now. It just makes the fight even more exciting and also having two world titles makes the fight even bigger.
"Me and Danny are young fighters. He's 24. I'm 25 and to be in this position fighting a huge fight with so many titles on the line I think is brilliant. We just hope that the IBF may do the same thing, put that title on the line, as well, which will be coming on this unification. I think the WBA made a great choice and I just want to thank them."
Although Peterson fought Khan with a banned substance in his system, his Washington, D.C., commission drug screen was clean after their fight. However, for the rematch, Peterson and Khan agreed to a much more extensive drug-testing protocol -- including random blood and urine testing leading up to the fight -- under the supervision of the private Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. The VADA tests are more sophisticated than those of the Washington commission, which is why the synthetic testosterone showed up in Peterson's drug screen.
Garcia (23-0, 14 KOs), of Philadelphia, will be making the first defense of the vacant belt he won by outpointing Erik Morales on March 24 in Houston. Morales had lost the title on the scale the day before the fight when he failed to make weight.
Marcos Maidana of Argentina remains the WBA's secondary "regular" titleholder in the junior welterweight division.