Khan collides with Algieri in ‘career defining’ welterweight bout
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Amir Khan will come face-to-face with American Chris Algieri in New York aiming to once again propel himself towards the top of the welterweight division, having declared that a defeat on United States soil would potentially end his fighting career.
Bolton-born Khan admitted that an unlikely showdown with Floyd Mayweather would become impossible to nail down if he was to be stopped by converted kick-boxer Algieri, with the Briton’s WBC silver welterweight title on the line at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Since being overcome by Danny Garcia in July 2012, though, 28-year-old Khan has triumphed in all four of his following bouts, with his most recent victory coming against American Devon Alexander at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last December (4/1 with Coral for a stoppage win in rounds 7-9).
The youngest ever British Olympic boxing medallist faces a tough competitor in Algieri, with ‘the Fighting Collegian’ having only been toppled once in his career, which spans 21 professional ring appearances, as he courageously regained his feet six times before losing by unanimous decision to Manny Pacquiao last year.
“A bad performance here would ruin me. The Floyd Mayweather fight would go out the window. The super-fights I dream about would disappear,” stated Khan.
Although, the 2004 Athens games silver medallist isn’t looking past his current counterpart prematurely, as he knows a fourth career defeat could spell disaster (odds-on 4/5 to win by KO or TKO).
“I’ve made that mistake before, when you look past fights, but I ain’t looking past this fight,” continued Khan.
“The guy I’m fighting, the guy I’ve been working on, the techniques I’ve been working on is to beat Chris Algieri, not Mayweather, not Pacquiao. I’ve got Chris Algieri. This is going to be a tough fight for me.”
Standing in Khan’s path is former WBO light welterweight champion Algieri, who comes into this bout on the back of his only career stoppage, but the 31-year-old believes he has learnt from that gruelling 12-round encounter with ‘Pacman’.
“People are saying I am fighting for my redemption. I don’t see it like that. I believe that was a tremendous learning experience against a great fighter and it’s helping me move forward. But I have to prove it,” stated the American.
Algieri has proved that he has the heart of a champion in the square ring, having converted from his initial sport of kick-boxing and; having bravely battled through six knock-downs against Pacquiao, he also won a world light-welterweight title by rising after being flattened by Russian Ruslan Provodnikov to fight back and earn a gallant points triumph.
That victory came at the very Barclays Center arena he prepares to face Khan in and is 16/1 to clinch another points decision and the same odds for a KO or TKO win on home soil.
