By Paulie Malignaggi Former IBF light-welterweight champion
I’m still trying to get over the huge punch that ended the fight and saw Danny Garcia beat Amir Khan in round four.
**Amir’s gameplan was the correct one, pick off Garcia with speed, keep him off balance, keep him turning, but he made one fatal mistake. **
**That error was to jump in once too often - it is a mistake that, when made, he rarely pays for because of his speed, and in the early stages Garcia was made to look silly by it. **
**It’s amazing how styles make fights, though, because Garcia prepared for that kind of thing, rode it out and Khan’s one mistake cost him. In the end Garcia caught him the way he wanted to. The plan was to land that kind of punch and, when it came, he hit him hard. **
Sometimes you try to think what you could have done differently but I don’t know what Amir should have done different to what he did.
OK, maybe he shouldn’t have jumped in so much. That was the mistake but it’s hard to point fingers because his style has worked so well for him over the years and he’s been doing it his whole career.
In the past he used to jump in all the time but now Amir picks his spots. He was jumping in, using his jabs. That’s what he does, but Danny timed his counter perfectly.
**You have to give credit to Garcia for being able to punch with Amir because that is a difficult thing. To be able to time that kind of shot and to have the wherewithal to land it after being pummelled in the early stages shows will. **
He’s got character and he will not show any frustration, even when things are going against him. Danny stayed with his gameplan and he believed in what he was doing. And when that hook landed, that was a shot. The next few days will be tough for Amir. The media is so fickle. One day you’re on top, the next you’re not and you’re being trashed. Two years ago I was written off and now I’m a world champion. Amir will be written off and people will say he can’t hack it. There will be a lot of people with all the answers.
But Amir’s going to have to have the mental strength to deal with this and to believe he can come back from it, because most people aren’t going to believe he can do it.
One thing I am sure of is that Amir can forget about Floyd Mayweather.
Mayweather will probably be retired in a couple of years when Amir might be ready to take him on, so this loss means he has lost that fight. That won’t come back, it’s gone completely. Who’s his next opponent? Maybe Paulie Malignaggi!
Whatever happens next with Amir, if I was handling him I’d bring him back slowly. There’s no rush for a world-title fight. He should have a couple of outings in Britain and then take it from there.
Amir had a good run, I hope he don't lose it and get back to fighting.
But he can't be jangeer/janseer khan for us. If we want this kind of excitement we need to
produce more boxers. He alone can't do that.
I am sorry for his loss, but I always thought he was not strong enough to last too long against sluggish Mexicans.
The Bolton fighter was stopped in the fourth round, losing his WBA light-welterweight crown to the WBC title-holder in the process.
But unlike some of his peers, Haye is confident Khan has what it takes to return to the top.
**The former WBA heavyweight champion said: "People are writing Khan off, but they do that at their peril.
“He’s been written off in the past when he was knocked out by Breidis Prescott.
"People said he was finished, that he was chinny and had no heart, but he came back and won world titles.
**“Lennox Lewis was knocked out twice by Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman, should he have given up then?
“He will still get the big fights, guaranteed, because he’s Amir Khan and puts bums on seats.
“He’s a young 25-year-old fighter who can produce the goods when it counts.
“It was just an off night for him and he’ll make everybody eat their words, just like he did after losing to Prescott.”
Khan was sensationally knocked out by Prescott in just 54 seconds back in September 2008.
But he gradually rebuilt his career, silencing the critics along the way by defeating Andriy Kotelnyk to win the WBA light-welterweight title in July 2009.
And Haye believes Khan will draw confidence from the last time his career seemingly appeared to be in tatters.
He added: "I remember the write-ups after that defeat but look at their careers now — Prescott’s a journeyman while Khan won a couple of world titles.
“Khan was being groomed to fight Floyd Mayweather but obviously that’s been pushed back.
"However, I guarantee he will figure out what he did wrong and will come back stronger.
“I talked to him before and after the fight. He knows what he must address in the gym to become a better fighter.”
I agree he have all the reasons to come back.
But again this thing is going to happen again as well.
I wish we had basic structure of boxing in pakistan, we would have many, many fighters like amir khan.
We could produce many mexican/irish style boxers no problem.
Only if poor boxers have access to equipment, which by the way is made in pakistan, and used all over the world.
Is that ironic?
r u Amir?