Khan wins but is still a work in progress by Tom Podmore Jun 23rd 2008

Amir Khan has finally admitted he isn't ready for world titles yet. The Bolton prospect made the surprising if accurate statement after coming through a harder-than-expected Commonwealth lightweight title defence against enigmatic but shopworn Mancunian Michael Gomez, who was dropped twice and stopped in five thrilling rounds, at a packed and noisy National Indoor Arena (NIA) last night (Saturday July 21). But Khan, who has had to fend off accusations about his chin since current Commonwealth welterweight champion Craig Watson sensationally decked him in the North West ABA finals in 2005, was himself sent hurtling to the canvas early in the second. The questions about his ability to take a solid whack on the jaw from a world-class operator loom larger than ever. Gomez is now the third man, the others being Frenchman Rachid Drilzane (a man who hadn't registered an early win in the paid ranks, although it looked a slip) and Scotsman Willie Limond, to have bowled the fast-handed stylist over since he turned over in July 2005. And though Gomez has justifiably got a repuation as the most unpredictable fighter in Britain – think of the three times he has been wrote off only to bounce back – it would be foolish for anyone to suggest he is the same force he was when dismantling Alex Arthur five years ago. To tell the truth, he hasn't scored a notable victory, a 50-50 affair, for four years. Yet the former two-time British champion, a career-long super-feather, was living with the bigger, stronger and taller man, hurting him with body shots and cranking left hooks onto the side of Khan's face. 18 fights in and Amir still has a dangerous habit of leaving his chin in the air and dropping his hands when forced onto the back foot. He also still has an uneasy look on his face when caught. There are positives aplenty for the 21-year-old, mind. With the exceptions of David Haye, Ricky Hatton, Joe Calzaghe and possibly Carl Froch, who else can sell out vast arenas like the impressive 10,000-seater NIA in the heart of Birmingham city centre? Who can garner national television interest like he can? Who else can make the non-boxing fan sit-up and watch boxing? Khan, who made his forth successful defence of his Commonwealth 9st 9lbs strap, is great for the profile of the sport. And there is no denying the potential he has. As well as the quicksilver speed he is in possession of, both of hand and foot, the former Olympic silver medallist is tall for the weight, accurate and has long arms. The potency of that height and long-armed combination is evident when he steps back, makes some room for himself and lets his hands go in rapid-fire combinations. But the pressure of trying to win a world title before his 22nd birthday lie squarely on his shoulders. No one but Khan, although ITV quickly jumped on the bandwagon, said he could win a recognised version of a world title quicker than any other British fighter. Frank Warren has always played it down – said he has more to learn before he can be let of the lead. It looks as if he's been proven correct. Having his first fight under the tutelage of Black Country matchmaker Dean Powell, who led Darren McDermott into a British title fight on the previous evening, Khan had said he was the fittest he'd ever been. Still, not many people thought he'd have his stamina tested – probably thinking that the Irish Mexican from Moston in Manchester would capitulate within the opening three minutes. That famed unpredictability from sombrero-wearing Gomez, who celebrated his 31st birthday on the day, reared its head once more. Far from being swatted aside in 180 seconds, 1/8 for some bookmakers, he was still trying to find a way to win in the session in which he was stopped. Though the speed of Khan rattled the former World Boxing Union champion on several occasions, the challenger always mustered the courage to come back. But things looked bad for Bobby Rimmer-trained Michael (9st 8 3/4lbs), storming forward with hands cupped on his temple and bobbing and weaving, when he was felled by a five-punch flurry that was topped by a crunching right hand in the opening session. Dazed, the tricolore-shorted puncher clambered up, riding out the storm, and was even fighting back by the end. Khan looked to pick up where he left off in the second, pressing on with four and fives and reddening the shorter man's face. Then it happened. Marching through the storm, Gomez slammed home a left on the champion's jaw and down he went, almost silencing the atmospheric arena. Although up quickly, Khan looked shaken and it wasn't until the final minute that he started to put his punches together again. However, the speed of punch from Khan had the Irish-born banger staggering once more in the third. It wasn't easy but Amir (9st 8 1/2lbs) was now starting to find himself room to stop Gomez getting in close, where he could land his solid-looking left hooks, and tattooed him with long, accurate, hurtful blows that made the cut on Michael's eye spew more plasma. But the flat-nosed Manchester warmonger shrugged that off, always a man with a high pain threshold, and thumped body shots into his opponent's sides – punches that caused Khan a great deal of discomfort. He visibly winced after one such shot, but lashed back with a sustained attack of his own later on and had referee John Keane taking a closer look. The quick-fisted, fleet-footed fighter from Lancashire decided that it was time to give the 44-fight (35 wins, 24 inside) veteran a taste of his own medicine in the fifth, a left to the body sending Gomez to his knees after a delay. Khan gave him no respite on the resumption, forcing him to the ropes and reigning in punch after to punch that left Mr Keane no alternative but to intervene at 2-33. As always, Gomez complained bitterly and later admitted he didn't grab the opportunity in the biggest fight of his life. Magnanimous Khan, meanwhile, now 18-0 (14), told ITV: "I've moved up a level now, fighting world class fighters like Gomez. They are always dangerous and can give me better fights than those before. "I made a couple of mistakes but you learn from them and every round I got better and better," he admitted. "At the end I won well and Gomez was a beaten man. But he was tough and gave me the hardest fight of my career. "I think I need a few more fights before I go for a world title." It was set for 12 and Terry O'Connor, Marcus McDonnell and Mark Green were the judges that weren't needed. Newbridge banger Bradley Pryce retained his Commonwealth light-middleweight for the sixth time and eased to a six-round stoppage over game West Bromwich southpaw Marcus Portman, referee Marcus McDonnell calling halt to the contest with the challenger sagging on the ropes after being steadily broken down by the hard-hitting Welshman. Pryce, who has famously turned his career around since moving to light-middleweight in 2006, must love fighting in the Midlands. He has boxed in Telford, Derby, Nottingham and now Birmingham – winning by stoppage in all four. Bradley spectacularly knocked Martin Concepcion flat last time out and virtually toyed with a capable Birmingham-born challenger. Errol Johnson-trained Marcus (10st 13 1/2lbs), a recent British title challenger and WBF champion, drew the opening round and won the second for me, but Pryce won the rest. Even when Portman tried to keep matters at range, especially so in the opening three, the Enzo Calzaghe-handled puncher looked dangerous and capable of ending proceedings when he stepped it up. The 27-year-old champion made the challenger hold the top rope after a crunching right in the first round, spun his head around with a left in the third and bloodied his nose by the fourth. Tattooed, sculpted portsider Portman, 19-7-1 (3), didn't have the strength to keep the ever-advancing former British title challenger off him – having his head snapped skywards with short uppercuts on the ropes in the fifth. Bradley (10st 13 1/4lbs) continued with the dominance in the sixth, eventually dropping his man with a hammer left halfway through the round. Although Marcus, 27, clambered to his feet, a follow-up barrage had him in distress and left Mr McDonnell with little choice but to make a well-timed intervention at 1-50. Pryce took a while to get going but is now 27-6 (17), has won seven on the spin and wants a world title shot next. Steve Bendall (11st 6lbs) produced the shock of the 11-fight Sports Network undercard, the first card promoted by Frank Warren in the Second City for over a decade. The Coventry southpaw turned the clock back to outscore undefeated Paul Smith (11st 5 1/2bs) for the English belt he wore until December 2006. Mark Green handed Bendall a 96-94 decision. I had the same score to Smith, but there were no complaints. Many expected the Liverpudlian, a 25-year-old former Commonwealth Games silver medallist and ABA champion, to be too fresh for a challenger who lost in a crack for the Commonwealth middleweight title in February, a seven-round cut defeat to Darren Barker. This expectation was heightened when Steve took two trips to the scales at the weigh-in on Friday. But Errol Johnson-managed Bendall, nine years older than the champion at 34, wanted this, knowing a loss would spell the end of his career. He spent a lot of time with his back to the ropes but countered well as the stronger champion marched in and shrugged off a customary cut to regain a belt he first won against Bradford banger Donovan Smillie three years ago. The rounds were fairly hard to score: Smith seemingly having the better of the early going and Bendall coming back into it in the last three or four rounds. That said, Paul, making the first defence of a title he won with a six-round stoppage of Cello Renda in March, was definitely the puncher and stunned the local ticket-seller on three or four occasions. Smith's solid punching had left Steve with a red face, nicked between the eyes and a mouse under his left eye by the fourth. Later on in the round Bendall was forced to defend stoutly when a left made his legs stiffen. The Buddy McGirt-trained banger continued to wear the Midlander down in the fifth, whipping in uppercuts at the exposed dome. The last five rounds could have gone either way, give-and-take exchanges being the norm. It was messy and scrappy but Bendall, now 29-4 (14), started to find the target with more regularity, hurting the English boss during the eighth. Both came out with urgency in the last but Smith had perspiration sent flying from his head and finished with a nasty cut on the side of his right eye. For Smith, who lost for the first time in 24 (13 early wins), its back to the drawing board. He would probably have boxed for the British middleweight title, held by Bendall's former conqueror, Birmingham-based Wayne Elcock, had he won but will have to regroup. He definitely has the talent but something seems missing. It was impossible not to be impressed with 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Don Broadhurst (8st 4lbs), who battered brave and willing Frenchman Alain Bonnel (7st 12lbs), a former French and European Union champion, for the duration of their six-threes. Mr Messer scored it 60-55 to the Birmingham flyweight. For the record, I had Don winning every round. Broadhurst, having his hundredth outing, had sold almost 1,000 tickets for his first pro fight in Birmingham and gave everyone an indication of what he could achieve in the future. The 27-year-old Frenchman, announced as from Brussels, Belgium, was no mug but couldn't deal with the Richie Woodhall-trained stylist's youth, speed or pin-point accuracy. The Erdington man hurt his right early on but didn't need it as he dominated with his left. Some of the work was beautiful: doubling left hooks to head, switching them to the body and then back to the head. He moved his head, showed speed of hand and foot, almost stopping the moustached Alain in the final three minutes. As it was, he survived and Don picked up his eighth win in as many outings (one early). Leicester puncher Martin Concepcion (11st 2 1/2lbs) returned to competitive action for the first time since being flattened in three rounds by Bradley Pryce last October (Commonwealth 11st belt) – getting back in the win column with a four-round decision over Birmingham's ‘Sweet' D Mitchell (10st 13 1/2lbs), 39-38 for Nigel Gill. The score looked spot-on. Chin-or-be-chinned Martin, who's older brother Kevin fights for the British Masters middleweight belt in Leicester next weekend (June 28), twice hurt the Richie Woodhall-trained switch-hitter with uppercuts, first in the second and then in the third. D, 31 and now 7-2 (2), showed good survival instincts to ride those hairy moments and even got the better of the exchanges in the last, dropping the ABA finalist with a cuffing counter right. The Jez Brogan-trained 26-year-old, now 13-5 (9), was up quickly – he looked to be off- balance at the time – and deservedly had his hand raised at the final bell. Amazingly, it was only his second win in three years (the other being a spectacular one-round win over then-unbeaten Mancunian puncher Matthew Hall last July). Undefeated Curtis Woodhouse (10st 8 1/2lbs) fought like a man possessed and winged body shots at West Brom southpaw Wayne Downing (10st 11lbs), now 4-6, until he could take no more, Shaun Messer completing the ten count with only 57 seconds on the clock in the first of a four-threes. Maybe Curtis, a former midfielder for Birmingham City, didn't like the fact Downing is a fervent West Bromwich Albion supporter. Whatever, the well-supported puncher was in no mood to hang around. The 28-year-old from East Yorkshire (Driffield) was all over the light-hitting portsider from the first ding of the bell, driving him back into his own corner and thumping in a crunching left to the ribs that dropped Wayne, 29, to his haunches. He never looked like beating Mr Messer's count. Dave Coldwell-trained Woodhouse, whose next fight will be at Birmingham's Aston Villa Events Centre on July 19, is now unbeaten in seven, scoring four impressive stoppages in as many bouts. He looks a useful little operator and seems to be very, very dangerous with those body shots. Not bad at all for someone who was once described as non-puncher. Talking of body shots, 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Stephen Smith (9st 1lb) dominated his show-opener with durable survivor Shaun ‘Slasher' Walton (9st 4 1/2lbs) and convinced the Telford man to take the full count for the first time in his 41-fight (four wins, three draws) professional career. Rob Chalmers tolled the count over the beaten man at 2-43 of the third. The fast featherweight from Liverpool, who also won European bronze, looks like a man who can go a long way. He was a class above a brave fighter who twice extended Kevin Mitchell in the amateurs and got to the ABA semis. Smith doubled the left to the body in the first, switched the hooks to the head in the second and had the Errol Johnson-trained fighter marked up. He didn't let up with the assault in the third and a hail of punches to head and then a cracking body punch dropped Walton, 33, who looked in some pain as the count was completed. Smith, only 22, was very, very impressive: fast, accurate and didn't just target one area. The George Vaughan-trained former amateur champion looks as if he will transfer his red-hot amateur form into the pros and opens his pro account with a stoppage. Another gold medallist at those Commonwealths, Swindon southpaw Jamie Cox, boxed over six-threes for the first time and improved his unblemished professional ledger to six fights (two inside) with a shut-out 60-54 victory over tough and capable Midland Area light-welterweight champion Billy Smith. Although both weighed 10st 8 1/2lbs, the similarities definitely ended there. Neat southpaw Cox, 21, forced Smith to take evasive action for most of the 18-minute bout, pinning him on the ropes and following the sharp right lead with straight lefts. The 30-year-old gypsy hardman from Worcester hit back when he could but was fighting a losing battle in this one. Nigel Gill handled the action. Mr Gill was also in charge of the four-rounder between Liverpool first-timer Joe Selkirk (11st 3 1/4lbs) and Mansfield's former Midland Area and British Masters light-middleweight boss Matt Scriven (11st 5lbs), taking part in his 50th contest, the Shrewsbury official scoring a shut-out 40-36 scoreline to the former ABA champion. Trained by former WBU middleweight champion Anthony Farnell, Selkirk is tall, long-armed and accurate. He bloodied shaven-headed Matt's nose in the opening three minutes and was generally in command of a bout that saw 34-year-old Scriven do well to last the course, bravely hitting back when he could. But Joe punished his older foe like Tommy Hearns did against Pipino Cuevas: avoiding the blows before coming with long, drilling rights. Unbeaten Chelmsley Wood teenager Thomas ‘The Natural' Costello (11st 1lb 7oz) repeated a four-round shutout victory over 30-year-old Chingford survivor Duncan Cottier (11st 5lbs), Terry O'Connor scoring for Rob Chalmers, who handled the action inside the ropes. Tall, lean Costello, 6-0 (2), had outpointed tattooed and durable Cottier by the same margin when they met at Birmingham's Custard Factory on an extremely cold and snowy day in November. I thought he improved on that showing this time around. The measured and quick-fisted Brummie created space to whip in right uppercuts before stepping back and ripping in solid hooks to the body. Brierley Hill's Richie Collins (11st 12lbs), now 3-0-1 (1), closed the show with a 40-37 four-twos victory from Terry O'Connor (Rob Chalmers handled inside) over Doncaster's winless but capable James Tucker (12st 4lbs). For what its worth, I had 22-year-old Collins edging an interesting bout by 39-38. Tucker, one draw in ten and handled by Dave Coldwell, ploughed forward aggressively and was ahead on my scorecard entering the third session. Ronnie Brown-advised Collins, however, let his hands go in the last two rounds and scored with a solid jab and accurate follow-up right. Richie, who came in at a career-lightest weight, is much better than his latest showing.

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mnn Jun 24th 2008, 11:07:21 by theword I think you're right - Khan definitly looks a little stunned whenever he is caught. His eyes remind me of a deer/rabbit caught in the headlights. Still, he seems to have the heart. Also Khan looked very very nervous before the fight.