Amir Khan and David Haye - a happy parallel? by Mel Dixon Jul 3rd 2008

Amir Khan's recent five-round war with Michael Gomez has raised many a question mark over the Bolton fighter's world title aspirations. Gomez was thought to be past his best. England's boxing superstar wasn't supposed to be threatened by a past-it, blown-up super-featherweight. But he was. He tasted the canvas and he almost tasted his first professional defeat. Various boxing commentators picked apart Khan's technical flaws - Barry McGuigan critiqued his close-range fighting skills, whilst Duke McKenzie urged him to stop fighting in ‘easy to hit… straight lines.' All observers seemed to agree that Khan possesses a worrying lack of punch resistance, and is still some way off being ready for the step up to world class. The question is: Will he ever be ready to make the step up and go on to conquer the lightweight division? Many would reply to this with a swift ‘yes', after all, the former Olympic silver medallist (evidence in itself?) has undeniable natural talent and an offensive mastery to equal any fighter in the division - all he needs to do is brush up on a few basics to correct those defensive frailties. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Khan is an instinctive fighter who thrives when on the front foot, and even if he learns to tuck in his chin and avoid punches more adeptly, he will leave himself open again. And he will get hit again - and by a harder puncher. It is this lack of punch resistance that may well prove to be his undoing. Not so long ago, all the same doubts were being expressed about David Haye as he was making his ascension up the cruiserweight ranks. When he was defeated by the ageing Carl Thompson early in his career, the same questions were being asked then of Haye, as they are now, of Khan. He became the division's undisputed king, and his sights are now set on heavyweight glory. Perhaps Khan's career will turn out to be a happy parallel for British fight fans. Let us look at the similarities in more detail… Both Khan and Haye built up well-earned reputations in amateur boxing that, in turn, fuelled a great sense of expectation for their professional careers. Haye won a silver medal at the world championships in Belfast in 2001, losing to Cuban superstar Odlanier Solis in the final. Khan was Britain's sole representative at the 2004 Athens Olympics where he picked up a silver medal in his defeat to… Cuban superstar Mario Kindelan. Due to the greater reverence surrounding the Olympics, his youthfulness, and the fact there was no other home-countries boxer to share the spotlight; Amir Khan was clutched to the media's bosom as a national hero. The blaze of publicity, and genuine public support, left Haye, comparatively speaking, in the shade. Nonetheless, they both had amateur careers which piqued an interest in casual and dedicated boxing fans alike. Haye turned professional in December 2002 and bowled over his first six opponents with relative ease. However, in his seventh contest he took on Lolenga Mock, a Congolese fighter who was moving up from light-heavyweight. In a fight that drew remarkable similarities to the Khan-Gomez contest (not least with the matching of an opponent moving up in weight), Haye knocked down his smaller opponent with a short right in the first round. But Mock returned fire in the second and sent Haye wobbling to the canvas with a right-hook to the temple. It was a far more dramatic knockdown than that received by Khan and a far more hurtful one with Haye clinging on and surviving on his erratically supporting legs. Haye recovered to force a controversial fourth round stoppage, landing a sweet uppercut under severe pressure. Haye's second big test came against Carl ‘Fight of The Year' Thompson. He dominated the early rounds, but somehow Thompson walked through his full repertoire of power punches before mounting his own onslaught in the fifth and convincing Haye's cornermen that their fighter needed saving for another day. It was to prove a valuable lesson as he went on to conquer the cruiserweight division with a canvas rebounding victory over Jean Marc Mormeck. Khan is yet to taste defeat as a pro, but he has come perilously close. The fight with Gomez is fresh in the memory, but let us not forget his eight-round tussle with Willie Limond for the Commonwealth title. In that contest he was down and in serious trouble in the sixth, and we almost saw the letter ‘L' materialise on his unblemished record. In the event it turned out to be a ‘WRTD8'. Khan, like Haye, knows what it takes to recover from a hard knockdown and win; and, as a result be accused of leaving a chin of glass on display. Haye has succeeded despite his perceived weaknesses. His success has been down to an unshakeable and genuine self-confidence, and no shortage of talent. Khan, on the other hand, does not possess the same level of confidence despite his attempts to exude it. Before his fight with Gomez he looked very nervous, and as has been mentioned previously on BBN, he appears a little startled when hit. If he suffers defeat in a similar vein to Haye, I'm not so sure he will recover in a similar way. This makes it even more crucial that he makes the necessary improvements - as Duke McKenzie says: ‘There are some very basic subtle things that he needs to learn, and quick.' And the truth is that anyone can get hit and hurt in the cruiserweight division - in the lightweight division it's not so common. Thus Khan's perceived vulnerability is a much more valid and worrying one. Perhaps their shared vulnerability in absorbing punches can be attributed to a shared difficulty in making weight. When fighters boil down to stay inside the limit, it can have an adverse effect on their durability. It was inevitable that Haye would move up to heavyweight, and this now may lead to an improvement in his ability to take a punch, though we‘ll have to wait and see. Khan will have to do the same later on in his career, and his one-fight foray into light-welterweight territory is evidence that this step up has already been considered. It looks as though team Khan will attempt to emulate Haye by holding back his natural physical growth and conquering the lightweight division, before adding the pounds and starting a new adventure at the higher weight. So, as Khan progresses towards a world title shot, a lot still needs to be learned. Gomez summed it up best when he referred to Khan as ‘a world class fighter with world class vulnerabilities.' When a fighter has such high calibre offensive skills, and alarming defensive frailties we are sure to witness something dramatic and exciting - unfortunately if he comes up against the division's elite, such as Manny Pacquiao or Nate Campbell, the drama and excitement will be overshadowed by the reality of defeat. But, if Khan takes his time, learns his Gomez lesson, and reaps the benefit of a new trainer, perhaps he can emulate David Haye. British boxing fans will certainly be hoping for a happy parallel; unfortunately I don't think it will be in this world.

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