KHAN CONFIDENT OF VICTORY IN TOUGH FIGHT
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 11 Dec 2010
WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan says he?s confident of winning a tough fight when he faces power-punching Argentine interim champion Marcos Maidana in Las Vegas on Sunday Manila Time.
The 24 year old Khan who trained for the Maidana title defense alongside pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao both in Manila and in Baguio City when Pacquiao was preparing for his WBC light middleweight title fight against Antonio Margarito conceded that the fight which will be telecast by Solar Sports at 1:00 p.m. pver RPN 9 is a big fight for him.
Khan said ?my dream was always to fight in Las Vegas and having my name lit up on the strip. This time has come for me at the age of 24. Maidana is a big threat in this division but its my time. Its going to be a big night and I want to end the year with fireworks.
Khan?s trainer Freddie Roach who conceded that Khan got the better of Pacquiao in their last sparring session in the Philippines is ready for the fight after training with different sparring partners. Roach said ?its been a really good ten week training camp. Amir is ready and this is going to be the Fight of the Year.?
In an interview with BBC Sport, Roach expressed confidence that the British world champion and 2004 Athens Olympics silver medalist would win every round against Maidana, Roach said ?I don?t think we?ll lose a round and I feel we?ll knock this guy out.?
Roach said they were ?ready for whatever this guy (Maidana) brings. If he wants to be aggressive or he wants to stand and wait we?re ready. I feel we have the better puncher of the two, the better boxer and just general all-around fighter. His speed is overwhelming at times and even though Maidana has had fast sparring partners, they don?t have the speed of Amir.?
Roach also said he believes that Pacquiao would have retired by the time Khan emerges as a possible opponent even though Khan has told us many times before he would not fight Pacquiao because they are very good friends and he is grateful for all he has learned from Pacquiao.
Maidana, on the other hand, hasn?t done much talking. At the pre-fight press conference Maidana merely said ?this is a very important fight for my career, but not the hardest.? Filipino welterweight Mark Jason Melligen who has sparred with Maidana in the past told the Inquirer that the Argentine is tough and hits hard.
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