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Ariza, who has been replaced by Ruben Tabares, could not be reached for commment.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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Amir Khan Shows Class in Defeat

Amir Khan shows class in defeat

by Dan Rafael

John Gurzinski/AFP/Getty ImagesAmir Khan, right, didn’t make excuses for losing to Danny Garcia on Saturday.

Former junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan just can’t win with some people.
He got knocked out in the fourth round by Danny Garcia in a unification bout on Saturday night at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas in a wonderfully exciting fight. Garcia had too much power and too much chin, and dropped Khan three times to score the upset knockout after walking though a ton of hard right hands.
Now, because Khan has been stopped twice in his career, some are suggesting that he should retire at age 25. I don’t get that. Khan is great for boxing. He’s never ducked anyone, he’s been willing to fight in his opponent’s hometown when he didn’t have to and he usually creates drama — win or lose.
He has so much skill, but doesn’t always use it because he can’t help but get himself dragged into a slugfest. That’s good for us, the fans, even if it’s a detriment to Khan. But that’s why he’s a must-see fighter. And now you have some people ridiculing him for losing and saying he should retire. But had Khan played it safe and boxed to a win like he probably could have, those same people would have also ridiculed him for fighting in a less-than-exciting style. You can’t have it both ways, people. I, for one, respect that when Khan says he’s coming to fight that he really means it. It’s not just some promotional ploy.
After the fight, Khan tweeted, “Can I apologize to my family, friends and everyone. I got caught with a shot and I know millions of you are upset, but that’s boxing for you.”
My thought, which I tweeted back to Khan, was what does he have to apologize for? He doesn’t owe anyone an apology of any kind.
All Khan did was go out and fight his rear end off, make an exciting fight and show a huge heart. He got beat by Garcia, who, by the way, is pretty damn good in his own right. There’s nothing to apologize for when you give your best effort and lose to a worthy opponent.
On Monday, Khan released a statement that I thought showed a lot of class. He didn’t make excuses and gave Garcia the credit he richly deserved.
“I would like to thank all my fans and well wishers for the amazing support I’ve had from you since my defeat on Saturday night,” Khan said. “Obviously, the fight never went as planned but credit has to go to Danny Garcia, who caught me with a good shot in the third round that I couldn’t fully recover from. I guess that’s boxing, where one punch can change everything. It’s the reason so many fans love the sport. Many fighters down the years have bounced back from defeat to prove their greatness and that’s exactly what I intend to do.
“I’ve never shirked any challenge or refused to fight anyone in my division even though it would have been easy for me to do so. Some may say that attitude is the wrong one to have but I’ve always wanted to please the fans and be involved in exciting fights because many of you pay good money to come and watch me, and it’s only right that you get to see the best fighting the best, especially in an age when so many top fighters hand-pick opponents.
“I’m going to spend the next few weeks relaxing during Ramadan and recharging my batteries after what was a 16-week training camp for me (because of the cancellation of his original May 19 rematch with Lamont Peterson). I’ll then sit down with my team to assess the options in front of me.
“Well done to Danny Garcia on his performance, but I promise that I’ll bounce back stronger than ever as I look to regain my spot at the top of the 140lb division.”
Anyone who has a problem with Khan, who fights the way he does and then shows such immense class in the wake of a harrowing defeat, ought to find another sport to watch. Khan picked himself off the canvas after his knockout loss to Breidis Prescott in 2008 and went on to win a title and make some exciting fights. I’m pretty sure he’ll be able to do it again.
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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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Bayless on Garcia's K.O. of Khan

Bayless on Garcia’s K.O. of Khan
by Lem Satterfield



RingTV.com caught up to referee Kenny Bayless to discuss Saturday night’s HBO-televised fourth-round stoppage of former titleholder Amir Khan by Danny Garcia, whose victory added Khan’s WBA junior welterweight belt as well as the division’s RING championship to the WBC crown he already owned.
Bayless waved an end to the fight at 2 minutes, 28 seconds of the fourth, this after asking Khan (26-3, 18 knockouts) if he still could continue.
At the time of the stoppage, Khan had been dropped for the third time in the fight and the second time in the round by Garcia (24-0, 15 KOs) at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.
RingTV.com: What was your assessment of Khan after the first knockdown? Kenny Bayless: After the first knockdown, I felt that Amir Khan was not at 100 percent. As a matter of fact, I would say that he was at less than 80 percent.
His legs just were not the same. Although he appeared to do well after the knockdown, I could just tell that he was not all the way there.
RingTV.com: Did that carry over into the next round and the second knockdown? KB: Well, with the second knockdown, where he went down and his gloves actually touched the canvas, that told you where he was really at after the first knockdown.
RingTV.com: Is it fair to say that he may not have fully recovered from the first knockdown?
KB: Well, from the first knockdown to the point where I stopped it, he was really taking some shots. I mean, Danny Garcia could smell blood, and he was going after Amir.

RingTV.com: When you stopped it even after Khan appeared to respond affirmatively to your question of whether or not he was okay to continue, what did you see that prompted you to end the fight anyway? KB: Protecting him was the first thing that I thought of. Between the first knockdown and to the point where I stopped it, defensively, Amir just wasn’t doing enough to protect himself.
When Amir finally went down for the last time, that punch he got hit with was a mere cry from the blows that he had been taking in comparison to the first round.
After I gave him the eight-count, and I asked him if he was okay, he just wasn’t showing me enough for me to allow the fight to continue.
RingTV.com: How do you mean?
KB: Well, it was because, first of all, his hands were down. He didn’t raise them up. That was the first thing. And beyond that, he just didn’t show me enough. So at that point, if I was going to allow the fight to continue, I needed to see more.
RingTV.com: By more, what do you mean? KB: Well, it was because at that particular time, I didn’t think that he was going to strike any sort of a comeback because his punches no longer seemed to have the sort of sting on them that was going to slow Danny down.
I mean, Danny was coming at him very strongly, and, like I said, he smelled blood. Danny was just hitting him with too many clean and open shots.

RingTV.com: When you look back at this fight, is there a message that you hope that people understand about why the fight was stopped? KB: I hope that the fans got it. I think that the fans did get it. I mean, I’ve been booed in the ring for stoppages in the past, but I didn’t hear any boos.
The only person that appeared to be sensitive about the stoppage was Amir Khan himself, but no one from his camp complained.
Like I said, no one in the stands booed. Even down to the fight doctor that came into the ring, everybody seemed to think that my stoppage was honorable.
I think that’s because Amir was simply taking too many shots. I mean, I always feel — and I tell people all of the time — that this is the way that boxers make their living.
This is a boxer’s career. In my opinion, Amir’s legs were shot, and his balance was off, and his punches were no longer having any effect on Danny.
So to me, there was no way that Amir had a realistic chance to win the fight any longer. So why allow him to continue to just take unnecessary punches?
When you’re in my position, I’ve got to do the right thing because this is Amir’s profession, and I have to protect him and save him so that he can come back and fight another day.
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Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Froch thinks Khan should retire

Froch thinks Khan should retire
by Harry Pratt

Carl Froch has stated he would retire if he ever suffered a crushing loss on the scale of Amir Khan’s shocking fourth-round KO by new RING junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia.
Khan, the former WBA and IBF titleholder from Bolton, England, no doubt was nursing a badly battered body and utterly shattered pride when he awoke the morning after a devastating night in Las Vegas. Fair to say, much of the expert post-mortem punditry back in his homeland would have done nothing to improve his depressed mood.
Khan’s career is definitely in no-man’s land, having been derailed by an extraordinary performance from Garcia (24-0, 15 knockouts), who also holds the WBC and WBA titles at 140 pounds. If talk of a ”super-fight” between Khan and Floyd Mayweather Jr. at welterweight sounded far-fetched before the weekend, it is now totally redundant.
Last Thursday, countryman Froch, the three-time super middleweight titleholder from Nottingham, had warned that Khan’s handlers were once again getting ahead of themselves and appeared to be underestimating the threat of the unbeaten American. Well, on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, those words came chillingly true, with Khan (26-3, 18 KOs) being thumped and dumped – in a fashion that brought memories of his first round loss to Breidis Prescott four years ago flooding back.
That is why Froch, 35, who could never be accused of giving up on anything lightly, is deadly serious when discussing the idea of 25-year-old Khan hanging up the gloves.
He wonders if the Bolton boy has already realized his potential, whether he can ever bounce back from a second knockout blow to his career and if there is any point in him even attempting to pick up the pieces.
"I would retire if that happened to me," the 168-pound IBF titleholder told BBC 5 Live's Sportsweek first thing Sunday morning. "Why? Because I am not in this sport to get beaten, knocked out or outclassed. It's a personal decision whether or not you retire, but to get stopped in the fourth round when you have previously been knocked out in your career, is just very, very damaging."
Froch has suffered two defeats but both were on points and therefore did not have a lasting, detrimental effect on his confidence to compete against the elite. Indeed, following his loss to Andre Ward in last year’s Super Six World Boxing Classic final, he returned in April and destroyed the previously-unbeaten Lucien Bute. Froch (29-2 21 KOs) does not believe Khan will be able to recover so quickly.
“You have to consider that he was badly knocked out by Breidis Prescott and he lost to Lamont Peterson as well,” he said. “I hope he can come back, he's got enough years left and, if he has the ambition and desire to come back, he could. He's still a good fighter.
“Although you can say I've lost twice, I lost a very, very close points decision to one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world in Andre Ward and I've come back and beaten an unbeaten fighter, Lucian Bute, the very next time, so I'm world champion.

'If I had lost to Bute, though, I would have retired, because I am in this game to be at the very top and stay at the top. I'm not in this game to make up the numbers.”

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The divergent paths of Khan, Garcia

The divergent paths of Khan, Garcia
by Kieran Mulvaney

LAS VEGAS -- There had been plenty of trash-talking in the week before Amir Khan and Danny Garcia stepped into the ring at the Mandalay Bay on Saturday night, much of it between Khan and Garcia's father Angel. Khan wasn't present at the postfight press conference, but Angel was, and he wasn't afraid to keep fighting the war of words even as his foe nursed his wounds at the hospital
"Rematch?!" he exclaimed when it was suggested that maybe his son might face Khan again following Garcia's explosive fourth-round victory. "Why would we fight him again?" After comparing him to an old pair of tennis shoes, Angel spat that Khan was "old news. He's an ex-champion. He's a three-time ex-champion."
That last comment in particular cut to the quick. Khan could excuse his first loss, a shocking first-round KO defeat to Breidis Prescott: Khan was young, he was raw, and he had subsequently improved under the tutelage of trainer Freddie Roach. His second defeat, last December to Lamont Peterson, similarly came with a set of asterisks and, given Peterson's subsequent positive test for synthetic testosterone, may yet be expunged from the record books.
This one, however, was different. Despite a half-hearted suggestion from Khan in the immediate aftermath that perhaps referee Kenny Bayless had been premature in halting the contest, there could be no doubt. This was a fight that Khan had had in his grasp, that he was winning through two and two-thirds rounds, his hand speed and combination punching making him seem a class apart from his young opponent.
But Garcia never lost his composure, and kept coming forward behind a tight defense. And when Khan presented him with a chance, he took it, landing an explosive left hook that detonated on Khan's jaw. Although the bout officially lasted another round, it was effectively over as a contest right then; as Roach admitted afterward, Khan never really recovered from that blow.
The fight highlighted everything that is good and bad about Khan: On the good side, his immense physical gifts and his astonishing heart, which, combined with his flaws, make for consistently exciting fights, win or lose; on the bad, the questions that arose anew about his chin, which it seems will always be a weakness, wherever he goes from here.
For Danny Garcia, the immediate future is bright. With victories over Erik Morales and now Khan, he has, as they say, arrived. Khan arrived, at least as an attraction and as a star, some years ago. The question has been when he would move on and take the next step to a higher level among the elites. Now that question is not so much when, but if. And his absence in the face of Angel Garcia's taunts served only to underline that it is a question to which we almost certainly now know the answer.
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Khan and Garcia both weigh 139 for unification bout

Khan and Garcia both weigh 139 for unification bout
by RingTV

LAS VEAGS -- Junior welterweight beltholders Amir Khan and Danny Garcia both tipped the scales at 139 pounds at Friday's weighin for their RING, WBA, WBC title unification bout at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Khan (26-2, 18 knockouts) and Garcia (23-0, 14 KOs) looked fit and comfortable for their HBO-televised showdown, weighing one pound under the junior welterweight division limit.
The fighters on the seven-bout undercard to the Golden Boy Promotions event also weighed in on Friday.
Middleweight prospect Fernando Guerrero (23-1, 18 KOs) and Jose Medina (17-10-1, 7 KOs) both weighed 162 pounds for their scheudled 10 rounder.
Welterweight prospect Phil LoGreco (23-0, 12 KOs) weighed in at 149 pounds for his scheduled eight-round bout against Brandon Hoskins (16-1-1, 8 KOs), who weighed 146.
Middleweight prospect J Leon Love (11-0, 7 KOs) weighed 162 pounds for his scheduled eight-round bout against Joseph Dos Santos (10-9-3, 4 KOs), who weighed 158.
Junior middleweight prospect Daquan Arnett (4-0, 2 KOs) weighed 153 pounds for his scheduled six-round bout against Eddie Cordova (3-2-1, 1 KO), who weighed 151.
Lightweight prospect Jamie Kavanagh (10-0-1, 5 KOs) weighed 135 for his scheduled eight-round bout against Paul Valverde (3-1-3), who weighed 136.
Both lightweight prospect Abner Cotto (13-0, 5 KOs) and Juan Manuel Montiel (7-5-3, 2 KOs) weighed 135 pounds for thier schuelded eight-round bout.


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Photo / Naoki Fukuda

Garcia speaks up for himself at final presser for Khan

Garcia speaks up for himself at final presser for Khan
by Doug Fischer

LAS VEGAS – Danny Garcia has been content to let his father and trainer Angel Garcia to do the pre-fight trash talking to his opponents throughout his pro career.
The undefeated 140-pound beltholder continued to allow his father to handle the “smack talk” during the build up to his junior welterweight title unification bout against Amir Khan – a task his bombastic father ran wild with during media events and interviews – but Garcia spoke up for himself at the final press conference on Thursday at the Mandalay Bay, the site for Saturday’s HBO-televised showdown.
“My dad has talked s__t 23 times before I fought and 23 times I backed it up,” Garcia (23-0, 14 knockouts) said during his turn behind the podium. “On Saturday, it will be 24 times I’ve backed it up. We’re a team, my father and I.”
So far, they have been a successful duo. Angel Garcia guided his son to two U.S. national amateur titles before turning him pro in late 2007. Three and a half years after his pro debut, Garcia took on his first former titleholder, Nate Campbell, who he outpointed over 10 rounds last April.
Garcia followed the Campbell victory with decisions over former 140-pound beltholder Kendall Holt last October and WBC titleholder Erik Morales in March. Angel Garcia talked a lot trash and caused his share of ruckus at the press conferences and weigh-ins for those two bouts, but the 49-year-old trainer took his antics to another level for the Khan fight. Some would say he took it straight into the gutter by disrespecting the British star’s Pakistani heritage and perhaps taking a stab at Khan’s Islamic beliefs.
“I ain’t never met a Pakistani who can fight,” the elder Garcia told RingTV videographer Bill Emes during an exclusive interview at his North Philadelphia gym.
“Khan’s an overrated European fighter. He got knocked out in Europe, that’s the truth. He blamed it on his God and came to America to hide behind (trainer) Freddie Roach. This fight is going to come down to who’s stronger mentally, physically and spiritually; and I know Khan’s God already – his God is a punishing God – my God is a loving God.”
Khan (26-2, 18 KOs) is not at all amused by Garcia’s vulgar brand of irreverence, and the 26-year-old WBA titleholder vented a little bit during his turn behind the podium on Thursday.
“I promise you – and I never make these kinds of guarantees – but I will knockout Danny Garcia,” Khan said as the members of his huge entourage cheered loudly. “And I can’t wait until after the fight to see what you (Angel Garcia) will have to say.
“He says he’s never seen a Pakistani who can fight but he’s going to see one on Saturday night.”
Khan’s heated words led into an intense staredown immediately following the presser, during which time Garcia demanded that the 5-to-1 favorite look directly into his eyes.
“I told him to be a man and look into my eyes,” Garcia told RingTV.com. “He was looking at my nose. I know that trick. Some guys look into your eyes and it throws their clicker (heart) off. They try to get around that by looking at a dude’s nose.
“So I told him to look me in my eyes.”
Garcia believes Khan’s knockout prediction is proof that his father’s words have gotten under the Brit’s skin.
“He’s not being real,” Garcia said. “We all know his game is boxing and moving and staying on the outside. If he comes to me and tries to fight me, we know what will happen; he’s the one getting knocked out. He’s the one with the suspect chin.”
Khan maintains that Garcia has suspect pro credentials.
“He’s going to find out the difference between being a titleholder and an elite fighter,” he said. “I’m an elite fighter. No disrespect to Erik Morales but he had his day. He was done when he fought Garcia.
“Garcia fought someone who was way past his best.”
Garcia says a faded “El Terrible” is still a tougher fighter than Khan.
“I learned a lot in the Morales fight,” said Garcia, who dropped the Mexican legend hard in the 11^th round of the bout he won by scores of 118-109, 117-110 and 116-112. “He’s got a lot of heart. I don’t know if Amir Khan has that much heart.
“Can Khan take the punches that Morales took from me?”
YOUNG GUNS
Many boxing insiders believe that Garcia, who turned 24 four days before the Morales bout, isn’t ready to face a fighter of Khan’s talent and experience.
Apart from predicting that “every boxing writer who picked Khan to win will choke on his own foot on Saturday,” Angel Garcia believes that young standouts – especially titleholders – should fight each other. And Khan, despite his many accomplishments, is only 25.
“That’s the way it used to be in boxing,” he said. “The biggest fights used to be between young men. Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Tommy Hearns, Felix Trinidad vs. Fernando Vargas, Oscar De La Hoya vs. Shane Mosley – all of these fighters were in their 20s.
“They were young and they were champions, so they fought each other. That’s why boxing was more popular then.”

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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.