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Khan: Being dumped on my backside was a blessing in disguise


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Amir Khan: Being dumped on my backside was a blessing in disguise

By IAN STAFFORD

 

 

Amir Khan says he has one man in particular to thank for the turnaround in his career which sees him preparing for the third defence of his world light-welterweight crown, to be announced in Manchester.

That man is not Freddie Roach, the trainer under whose guidance Khan has blossomed since he moved to Los Angeles two years ago.

Nor is it Manny Pacquaio, the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world and the fighter Khan aspires to become.

 

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The moment the 24-year-old from Bolton pinpoints as the defining point in his career came when he was dumped on the canvas after just 54 seconds of a fight in Manchester more than two years ago.

And the man Khan now credits with propelling him in the right direction is his conqueror from that night, Breidis Prescott.

‘I got my backside kicked that night and it changed everything,’ said Khan, whose opponent for his latest title defence is expected to be Belfast’s Paul McCloskey.

‘Before then, I trained on my own and everyone treated me like I was the dog’s b******s.

‘Nobody ever told me I was doing anything wrong but, looking back, I was doing a great deal of things wrong, including my diet and the way I lived my life. I thought I was better than I was.’

His decision to move to Los Angeles and train with Roach has clearly been the making of him.

‘Back in Bolton everyone looked up to me, but in LA, with the likes of Manny Pacquaio in the gym, I look up to everyone else. Freddie works me hard, I live like a monk out there and you can see what’s happened to my career since.

 

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‘A lot of fighters don’t come back from a defeat as heavy as the one Prescott handed out to me. I’m proud that I have and there’s no doubt that the loss was a blessing in disguise.

‘I’d like to thank Prescott for the lesson he forced me to learn. He did me a huge favour that night. I’d love to fight him again, because I’ve fought every boxer who beat me in my amateur career and avenged each defeat, but he’s slipped off the radar.’

The ghosts of that harrowing defeat by the explosive Colombian were, so Khan believes, laid to rest on December 11 when he withstood immense pressure from Marcos Maidana, including a major wobble in the 10th round, to emerge as the unanimous victor after 12 gruelling rounds.

‘I won’t lie to you, it really preyed on my mind when I read and heard all the doubters who wondered whether I had a chin after the Prescott fight,’ he said.

‘I don’t think there should be any doubts now, though. You don’t want too many fights like the one against Maidana in a career, but you need a few and I’ve emerged much the better for the experience, convinced of my own ability.

‘I’ve watched the fight a lot since and at times it resembles the boxing in the Rocky films. I wanted to prove to the world that I could fight and take a punch.’

Still, he is mature enough now to bide his time before taking on Floyd Mayweather at welterweight in the next stage of his masterplan over the next four years before quitting at 28.

 

Khan said: ‘First comes the fight in April, then the unification of the light-welterweight division in the summer and then, hopefully, a move up to welterweight with the fight against Mayweather taking place next year. I want to be ready for him and that means another 12-15 months of development.

‘After I’ve beaten Mayweather and defended my welterweight crown a few times, there would be just one final goal to achieve — to become world light-middleweight champion.

‘I reckon it will take four years to achieve this and become the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. Then I’ll quit, after just one fight at that weight.’

It means no fight against Pacquaio — ‘I couldn’t punch Manny, he’s been too good a friend, teacher and mentor to me to do that’ — and plenty of time to pursue his other passions in life.

Apart from his beloved Bolton Wanderers FC, that primarily means charitable work.

He already provides a haven at his Gloves Community Centre for youngsters in Bolton who may end up in trouble on the streets, and Khan’s latest cause is also very close to home.

The floods that ravaged Pakistan last summer moved Khan when he visited last autumn. ‘That’s why I’m pledging to build two new schools out of money I’ve helped raise and will ensure it happens, no matter how long it takes,’ he said.

 

 

Source::

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1347538/Amir-Khan-Being-dumped-backside-blessing-disguise.html#ixzz1BAGwJAaQ

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I thought he came across well in that interview, I was waiting for stumble across the the one quote from him that ballsed it all up but there wasnt one. I wish he'd stop with the idea of retiring at 28 though, I dont like it when boxers come out publicly with stuff like that, same goes for Haye
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I thought he came across well in that interview, I was waiting for stumble across the the one quote from him that ballsed it all up but there wasnt one. I wish he'd stop with the idea of retiring at 28 though, I dont like it when boxers come out publicly with stuff like that, same goes for Haye

 

Aye, that's 2 good interviews in a row from him...

I'm guessing he's finally sorting out his PR at source.

I still can't help but feel it will only be a matter of time until he shoots himself in the foot again though!

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A loss is always a good thing in a boxer's career IMO. It helps put things into perspective, helps a boxer realise he/she isn't indestructible, makes a boxer more understanding to how difficult boxing is, emphasises the negatives in his/her gameplan/execution that needs working on....

 

Khan and Froch are great examples of when a loss has helped a boxer's career.

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A loss is always a good thing in a boxer's career IMO. It helps put things into perspective, helps a boxer realise he/she isn't indestructible, makes a boxer more understanding to how difficult boxing is, emphasises the negatives in his/her gameplan/execution that needs working on....

 

Khan and Froch are great examples of when a loss has helped a boxer's career.

 

i dont know about a loss always being a good thing, as normally its a terrible thing... but the losses that froch and khan are certainly helping their careers now. as for the mental side of things, i think a loss can help a fighter be less delusional about himself (like khan and froch)

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Well, all of the absolute greatest fighters have plenty of losses on their records so clearly losses haven't done "bad things" to their careers. So i basically take those two things to go together. Losses aren't bad for their careers so they must've done some amount of good. Marciano, Calzaghe i don't rate as all time greats and Lopez, albeit being one of Mexico's finest, rarely gets ranked as Mexico's absolute greatest. He usually gets a top 5 or maybe 10 ranking.
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Well, all of the absolute greatest fighters have plenty of losses on their records so clearly losses haven't done "bad things" to their careers. So i basically take those two things to go together. Losses aren't bad for their careers so they must've done some amount of good. Marciano, Calzaghe i don't rate as all time greats and Lopez, albeit being one of Mexico's finest, rarely gets ranked as Mexico's absolute greatest. He usually gets a top 5 or maybe 10 ranking.

 

yeah but for every great theres hundreds of fighters who take a loss and never rebound. sometimes its the fighters only chance and he blows it with a loss, never seen again on the world stage (if hes even made it that far). depends how the fighter loses i suppose

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Khan used to chat a lot of crap but he said a lot of things right there, apart from the end of the interview where he mentions Mayweather and that he'll beat him.

 

GBP have plans for a Khan vs Mayweather fight, that's what they are aiming for, but I am hoping it takes place about two years from now, so Khan can get more experience because he looked heavily technically flawed against Maidana.

 

If the fight took place now then Mayweather would win early.

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Khan used to chat a lot of crap but he said a lot of things right there, apart from the end of the interview where he mentions Mayweather and that he'll beat him.

 

GBP have plans for a Khan vs Mayweather fight, that's what they are aiming for, but I am hoping it takes place about two years from now, so Khan can get more experience because he looked heavily technically flawed against Maidana.

 

If the fight took place now then Mayweather would win early.

 

I don't have a Problem with him saying that about mayweather personally, he's a world champion around the same weight, although I don't think he'd win he's more than entitled to be confident about that now

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yeah but for every great theres hundreds of fighters who take a loss and never rebound. sometimes its the fighters only chance and he blows it with a loss, never seen again on the world stage (if hes even made it that far). depends how the fighter loses i suppose

 

Yeah, good point. I guess what i meant was "Top level" fighters (such as former Olympians or top prospects) need a loss just to kick start their careers. Similar to how Hagler, Marquez, Hopkins etc all had early losses and then went on to achieve greatness. Or the way Froch, Khan and Pacquiao learnt from their losses in the middle of their careers to become better fighters. Or even the way journeymen don't allow losses to affect their confidence and continue to battle it out each fight until the final bell.

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yeah but for every great theres hundreds of fighters who take a loss and never rebound. sometimes its the fighters only chance and he blows it with a loss, never seen again on the world stage (if hes even made it that far). depends how the fighter loses i suppose

 

Yeah, good point. I guess what i meant was "Top level" fighters (such as former Olympians or top prospects) need a loss just to kick start their careers. Similar to how Hagler, Marquez, Hopkins etc all had early losses and then went on to achieve greatness. Or the way Froch, Khan and Pacquiao learnt from their losses in the middle of their careers to become better fighters. Or even the way journeymen don't allow losses to affect their confidence and continue to battle it out each fight until the final bell.

 

ahh ok. i agree with that then. well said

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Khan has definatley developed since his loss to Prescott and tying in with Roach has got him to where he is. He is a tallented boxer and could go on to cement his place in history. He will be able to beat Mayweather one day, but yes, that will probably be against a Mayweather that is past it.
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