The deposition of King Khan the Confident

Amir Khan, the “next boxing superstar” according to promoter Oscar de la Hoya, will have to postpone his conquest of the welterweight division, as he proved unable to take care of matters in his own weight class. Having gone down to a controversial points decision against the industrious Lamont Peterson in Washington D.C., the twenty-five year old will once again have to rebuild before he can lay claim to any throne.

The fight itself was a thriller, something we have come to expect of Amir Khan’s fights, provided they get past the first round. An early knockdown and some occasionally smart boxing from the champion wasn’t quite enough to retain his WBA and IBF titles, as Peterson’s constant pressure, Khan’s misjudged attempts at going toe to toe with the boxer-brawler, and the two deducted points for excessive pushing confined Khan to a second professional defeat. Peterson, the home favourite, fully earned his split decision, which, although close, reflected his high work rate and his determination, much to the delight of the Washington Convention Centre crowd.

The major talking points on the lips of commentators across the globe will be the two points deducted from Khan for frequent pushing in rounds seven and twelve. The enforcement of rules regarding excessive pushing and clinching is entirely at the referee’s discretion. The Bolton-born boxer grappled Peterson numerous times around the neck throughout the fight, and was warned repeatedly by referee Joseph Cooper about pushing his opponent away. Khan refused to heed any of these warnings, not even after being penalised the first time. The first point itself deserved a deduction, albeit for different reasons. When Cooper intervened to deduct a point from Khan for excessive pushing, the champion glanced at the referee before landing a right uppercut flush to the face of the unsuspecting Peterson. If the pushing deduction was a swing, then the unsportsmanlike conduct of Khan was a roundabout. The second deduction in the final round seemed a little more controversial – Peterson came in a little low and Khan shoved him away by pushing his neck – but once again, the latter was warned. He was aware of the potential ramifications, but simply didn’t learn from his previous mistake. Coming when it did, with one minute left of the final round, it ultimately cost him the fight.

What else should Amir Khan learn from this? First and foremost, not to underestimate any opponent. The disappointing result makes any talk of a fight with Mayweather look foolish. As any boxer ought to tell you, you should never look beyond your most immediate opponent; perhaps Khan found this out the hard way. The Olympic silver medallist also needs to partially unlearn one of his previous lessons. He won a large number of admirers on both sides of the Atlantic by weathering the furious Maidana storm this time last year, and proved once and for all that he can take a punch. Unfortunately, whispers about his glass chin and the spectre of Breidis Prescott seem to torment him in the ring. Rather than dance away from punches, Khan preferred at times to back into the ropes, taking combinations to the body and head and showboating afterwards. The last thing a fighter graced with Khan’s speed and guile should be doing is inviting an inside fighter to come inside. This is a boxing competition, not a bravado contest. Khan’s unrelenting pride clouded his judgement. He was lucky to survive the third round.

His post-fight comments about the refereeing decisions and the Washington bias were expected but misplaced. Khan knew that, when fighting in the enemy’s back yard, it would be hard to get a decision; harder when you let the home favourite play the part of the aggressor. The referee’s deductions may be seen as harsh, but the cautions were firm and frequent. The brief interview time could have been spent congratulating the new champion in front of his home fans, rather than towing a line of standard excuses.

Khan boxed well on occasion, displaying the technique and hand speed that won him his championship belts in the fifth and ninth rounds in particular, but it was not on show frequently enough. In some respects, this loss will hit the Khan camp harder than the Prescott defeat. A twelve round decision cannot be put down to a lucky punch or a blip; issues with his overconfidence and his seeming inability to stick to the gameplan need to be addressed. The boy from Bolton will once again have to prove his credentials, in a rapid rematch and in any fights beyond that. He has bounced back before, and there is little doubt that he will do so again.

Until then, the king without a title should relinquish his nickname temporarily. Crown Prince Khan would, at this juncture, certainly be more fitting.

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