Is Amir Khan, the UKs next Ricky Hatton?
I think in some ways he is but in other ways he will never be like Hatton. I think nowadays the welterweight and light welterweight division is where all the action is and Khan will be the next British superstar in that weight. I think the loss to Prescott was, in hindsight, a good thing as it made him link up with Roach and that led to sparring with Pacquiao. However his ability to take a shot is still questionable and as he moves up in class it will be interesting to see if Roach can sort out his defensive issues. However he has time on his side, he is already a world champion and has the chance to hone his skills against fighters like Salita before moving up to face the Cotto’s, Mayweather’s and possibly Pacquiao’s of this world. Having said that Khan will never be the same icon as Hatton is/was. Ricky could sell out any venue in the world and the British fans loved him. He was an exciting fighter who represented the ordinary man. He was probably the most popular boxer in British hi
Ricky Hatton was held back by an incompetent trainer for years he could have been a Miguel Cotto or Floyd Mayweather but the trainer he had just didn’t have the ability to take him to that level and by the time Hatton realized it (after Lazcano) it was too late, his loyalty to Billy Graham is what hindered his improvement. Amir Khan is the exact opposite he has the trainer,the amateur experience, and natural ability to be a great fighter. So many people are waiting for Amir Khan to slip and crumble so they can say “I told you so” but I think Khan is legit. Granted he has some flaws that can be exposed right now but so do a lot of other prospects he only has about 23 fights and with Freddy Roach he’s going to improve. Will the United Kingdom embrace him the way the did Ricky Hatton, probably not from what I have heard Khan is actually thinking about moving to the United States because of the hate and prejudge he’s received from his fellow countrymen. Apparently he’s had issues with his
Coming from the UK I got to see Amir Khan’s career from when he was an armature, right through till he won the world title. Even when he had his final armature fight against Mario Kindelan he had a massive prime time tv audience. He was incredibly popular and filled stadiums even when fighting against pretty poor opponents. Things started to change for Khan when he fought Willy Limond. Limond fought really well and knocked Khan down in the 6th. The British really love an underdog and the crowd started getting behind Limond. I have to admit, even though I am a Khan fan, part of me was cheering for Limond. Khan got knocked down in his next fight and then KO’d by Prescott the fight after. This is when the public really started criticising him.He is still very popular and gets big gates and tv audiences but at the same time receives a lot of boos at his fights and a lot of criticism from fans. I really don’t think he will be as big as Hatton in the UK. Hatton is loved by the public and is
