Best laid plans...

As the dust settled following the Haye defeat, the major story in British boxing this week, aside from the non event that was Ricky Hatton's retirement (we knew already Ricky, even if you didn't), was regarding a potential meeting next year between Amir Khan & Floyd Mayweather. It followed Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer's media visit to the UK where the current plan for Khan was mapped out. They are hoping to follow the fight on July 23rd against Zab Judah with an Erik Morales meeting in the autumn, then a British clash with Kell Brook next spring, before possibly facing Mayweather towards the end of next year

There are a lot of ifs in that equation though; injury could occur, potential promotional problems & the results would have to go the way they hope. I realise the reason for making the strategy public, it has received a lot of coverage in the media and put Khan back in the limelight but personally I find long term plans such as these slightly arrogant and presumptuous. I found it irritating that all the media reports focused exclusively on the Mayweather clash ,with Judah, Morales & Brook afforded barely a passing mention. As things stand Khan would start favourite in all these potential match ups but things can change quickly in boxing.

Judah has looked an improved fighter since dropping back down to light welterweight, he is vastly experienced & seems to have finally matured. His power will be a threat early on, but after 15 years as a pro including six losses, he is nearing the end and I'd expect Khan to be too fresh & too fast

Speaking of how circumstances can change quickly, the view before Mexican legend Erik Morales was due to meet Marcos Maidana in April was that it was a terrible match up that could see the veteran seriously injured. Morales had retired in 2007 after losing 5 of his last 6 contests as time seemed to have caught up on him. He returned last year at a low level, 2 weight divisions up from his prime, while Maidana impressed in his narrow defeat to Khan, almost stopping the champion in the 10th round. However the worries that the hard hitting Maidana would destroy a shopworn & out of shape Morales turned out to be false as, although he lost on  a majority decision, Morales put in his best display in years, using his skill & experience to make Maidana appear a crude & limited slugger.

Despite that excellent display, he still isn't getting younger & the Maidana fight may have been one last hurrah in a superb career that saw Morales become a seven time world champion. I'd imagine Khan's speed would be too much for him at this stage & he'd join his great rival Marco Antonio Barrera on the Bolton's man list of 'past their best' victims.

So assuming everything has been going along smoothly, the plan would then be a War of the Roses meeting with Sheffield's Kell Brook. This would be different as it would match Khan with an unbeaten fighter his own age, who can also match him for speed. Brook has been tipped for the top for a number of years but frustratingly he appeared to have been held back, matched far too cautiously & not tested.  A recent change in promoters, moving to Matchroom, appears to have kick started his career & I thought he was very impressive in the recent victory over Lovemore N'dou. He may not have become the first man to stop N'dou but he hurt him more than I can recall seeing anyone else do previously, he paced himself perfectly as he went twelve rounds for the first time & showed a lovely variation of attack.

I'm hoping that up to this point things do go as they've been planned as a Khan-Brook fight has the potential to be a massive domestic clash; they have already started a war of words over Twitter with Khan contemptuous of his rival's ability. Brook needs a couple of challenging fights beforehand to test him further & improve his marketability but I believe he has the ability & the belief to not only push Khan but to beat him. Which means we're not going to get to Mayweather....

Having said all this, now watch Judah knock out Khan in round one & Brook get pummeled by an unknown east European.....

Haye-Klitschko aftermath

The reaction to the Wladimir Klitschko-David Haye fight in the British press has been predictably negative. There are very few specialist boxing journalists employed by the daily papers these days so in the majority of cases it was the football correspondent sent to report from Hamburg, leading to the usual standard of sporting journalism in this country; everything is either incredible & amazing or it's terrible & the end of the world. It's exactly the same when England enter a World Cup or a British player competes at Wimbledon, beforehand they're world beaters on the verge of history and then after they lose they are walking disasters, they should be ashamed of themselves, all sport in this country is in crisis.... the press don't believe in a middle ground, they are incapable of putting things into perspective. There is also the strange tendency for the journalist to act as though the failure of someone from this country at sport is a personal insult against them; the comments that Haye let everyone down because he didn't live up to his pre fight boasts are nonsensical. The mundane fact is that he tried to live up to them and simply wasn't allowed to by his opponent. One suggestion that he didn't have the heart for it was particularly insulting; Haye wasn't able to get inside the Klitschko jab to throw any meaningful punches but he continued to try for the full twelve rounds. I also take issue with anyone questioning the heart of any boxer from the safety of a keyboard...

The issue with the injury to his toe was unfortunate; Haye did sound like he was making excuses and it has also overshadowed the number of times that he has also admitted the better man won & his respect for Klitschko. Although it could be argued that you may not get the most balanced interview when ten minutes after a fight you stick a microphone in front of someone who is hurt and frustrated. What is also unfortunate is that the injury happened, as despite the mockery from ignorant quarters, it is a serious injury for a boxer that will affect their ability to perform; Frank Warren, Frank Bruno and others have been quoted criticising Haye for not pulling out of the fight

The fight should hopefully see Klitschko finally get a bit more respect; he put in a near faultless performance. While the brothers will never be the most exciting fighters in the world, they remain incredibly effective. They are always in perfect condition (a lesson other heavyweights seem incapable of learning), they follow their gameplan & they make the most of their physical advantages.

What happens next for both men is questionable. Haye is making noises about possibly not retiring in October & maybe looking for a rematch, while its hard to see anything out there for Klitschko. There are no viable contenders; the fact that a potential fight against the winner of the Chisora-Fury meeting has even been mentioned shows how desperate the situation is. The market for Wladimir facing a 14 fight novice is not going to have the tv companies reaching for their wallets.

Have found myself getting increasingly irritated with Klitschko continuing to maintain he was terribly offended with Hayes antics before the fight. For a start I don't believe he is so thin skinned & he's been in boxing for long enough to know how the game is played. He made an approximate £10 million from the weekend, that purse won't be there next time & neither will the worlds media, it all resulted from Haye's behaviour. The two biggest fights from a British point of view this year have been this & the earlier Groves-DeGale meeting, in both cases owing to the bad blood & insults that preceded them. There have been plenty of other excellent fights with respectful opponents; boxing fans were watching but the general public wasn't, so however distasteful the hype can appear, the problem is with society in general and not the sport