Amir Khan has a date with one of boxing’s toughest and formidable fighters on May 7th, and it’s sparked great debate among fans. The popular bet may be that Canelo Alvarez’s power and size will be too great for the former Junior Welterweight champ, but there’s no denying Khan knows how to fight his way through a war. Case in point: 2010’s Khan vs Maidana.
Britain’s Khan stepped through the ropes that night with 23 wins, 17 knockouts and 1 defeat, plus the WBA 140-pound strap, and Argentina’s Maidana with 29 wins, 27 knockouts and 1 defeat.
Catch HBO’s explosive Khan vs Maidana Highlights below:
Khan was quick out the gate, showing no respect to hard-hitting favorite Maidana, dazzling the Argentine with fast hands. Khan then did the unthinkable, almost ending the fight after dropping his foe with a crunching body shot. It was just the 1st round and already the pre-fight script was going up in flames.
Maidana beat the count and managed to hear the bell, and before long he was back in the fight, piling on constant pressure. Khan was dancing, dominating with lightning combinations and counters, but it was clear Maidana was capable of turning the tables with one telling blow.
Khan got a taste of that power in the 6th following a barrage of hooks upstairs, but responded well to Maidana’s pounding attacks. Khan was now in deep with one of the sport’s most relentless fighters. And Maidana wasn’t about to take a step back. Maidana tried his luck with several looping overhand rights in the 7th, and landed enough clean leather to make the fight result anything but certain.
Khan’s boxing smarts allowed him to bag the 8th and 9th rounds, but a knee-jerking right from Maidana nearly ended the war in the 10th. Khan was seriously hurt, almost out on his feet, and was in with the division’s hardest puncher. Maidana jumped all over his wounded prey, smashing an overwhelmed Khan with full-blooded hooks. Khan managed to survive the hellacious stanza – and from being rescued by ready-to-pounce referee, Joe Cortez.
Khan lifted the Vegas crowd back to their feet in the 11th after snapping back Maidana’s head with an all-business uppercut, followed by a crisp one-two. Khan was back in the fight, had a comfortable enough lead on the scorecards, and was about to pull off the upset if he could stay on his feet for another three minutes.
Both combatants left everything in the ring in the 12th and celebrated at the bell. Khan won the life-and-death battle on scores of 114-111 (twice) and 113-112, and, just as importantly, had emblazoned his name into the American audience’s collective mind. Khan’s crossover appeal had now made him an international star.
Khan went on to defend his WBA title twice, winning a Technical Decision over Paul McCloskey, and knocking out former champ Zab Judah in 5 rounds to also pick up the IBF strap. Khan lost his titles to the versatile Lamont Peterson soon after, and was then dispatched inside 4 rounds by a then-unheralded Danny Garcia in 2012. It seemed that Khan – like most of us – had overlooked the potential of Garcia, an intelligent, hammer-fisted fighter who went on to become an unbeaten, undisputed King at 140 pounds.
Khan has since rebounded with five career-building wins, making easy work of all but veteran Julio Diaz in 2013. Khan was dropped and troubled several times by Diaz en route to escaping with a decision, but stopped Carlos Molina, dominated Luis Collazo, Devon Alexander and Chris Algieri in style. Khan will now meet with arguably the biggest test of his career – emphasis on the ‘biggest’ – in WBC Middleweight champ Canelo Alvarez in April.
Has reliving Khan vs Maidana altered your call on Khan vs Canelo, readers? Is Khan capable of asking some serious questions of Mexico’s golden boy? Or, despite Khan’s heart and defiance, is he scheduled to be swiftly demolished?
