British Pakistani sensation Amir Khan is arguably one of the greatest boxers that the United Kingdom has ever produced. The Bolton-born star’s lightning speed led him to an Olympic silver medal in 2004, and that was just the start of a title-laden career. However, at one point it looked as though he might never live up to his potential.
After amassing an early record of 18-0, Khan was a heavy favorite for a clash against the hard-hitting Breidis Prescott in his first-ever clash on pay-per-view. Much to the shock of everyone watching around the world, the young lightweight was starched in the very first round, derailing his career in the process. Khan would bounce back with victories against Hall of Famer Marco Antonio Barrera as well as Ukrainian duo Andreas Kotelnik and Dmitry Salita.
That set Khan’s career back on track, and from there he would fight some of the most dangerous fighters in numerous different weight classes. Here are the best winners on Amir Khan’s stellar resume.
1. Paulie Malignaggi
Following those aforementioned victories against Barrera, Kotelnik and Salita, Khan would face a huge step up in quality as he faced off against American technician Paulie Malignaggi in his Stateside debut. The Magic Man gave Miguel Cotto all he could handle four years prior, as well as raking Ricky Hatton into the 11th round in their light-welterweight clash.
Khan headed into this one at Madison Square Garden as the favorite to retain his WBA 140-pound title, and he duly lived up to the billing. While Malignaggi’s slick boxing skills and resilience posed a significant challenge, the Brit’s lightning-fast hand speed and relentless pace were thought to be the difference maker. Ultimately, that ended up being the case as Khan simply overwhelmed his more experienced opponent, leading to a convincing eleventh-round TKO victory.
This win was pivotal, as it marked Khan’s successful transition into a marquee fighter who could handle battles on the big stage in the United States. But his biggest test was yet to come.
2. Marcos Maidana
Six months on from that career-making victory, Khan faced one of the toughest challenges of his career against the hard-hitting Marcos Maidana. The Argentinian knockout artist was thought to be a bad stylistic matchup for the reigning champion, with his style similar to the one of the aforementioned Prescott, who handed Khan the first and at this point only loss of his career in brutal fashion. Maidana came into the bout with a 29-1 record, and 27 of those victories came by way of stoppage, many thought it only took him landing one big shot that would ultimately close the show.
The Mandalay Bay hosted fight was a true test of Khan’s resilience and heart. The Brit started strong, flooring Maidana with a body shot in the first round and it looked as though his opponent would not beat the count. Ultimately, he did, but Khan kept peppering away in the first half of the fight and building up a huge lead on the scorecards. However, everyone knew that it only took one shot, and Maidana came back fiercely. He would land many more than “just one shot,” but Khan’s chin ultimately stood up to the test.
Maidana laid on thick, especially in the later rounds unleashing a relentless assault that Khan would survive. In the tenth round, El Chino would batter Khan from pillar to post, but Khan would not hit the canvas, showcasing his warrior spirit and ultimately earning him a narrow but deserved unanimous decision victory.
3. Zab Judah
In July 2011, Khan faced Zab Judah in a unification bout to consolidate the WBA and IBF light-welterweight titles. ‘Super’ was one of the few men who could feel hard done by a certain Floyd Mayweather, dropping a controversial decision to ‘Money’ back in 2006. Five years later Judah was enjoying a late-career renaissance, and a victory against Kaizer Mabuza brought him a share of the gold at 140 pounds.
The American veteran was considered a formidable test for Khan, but ultimately, the Brit was younger and hungrier than his illustrious opponent. He utilized his superior reach and speed to keep Judah at bay before dropping and stopping the IBF champ with a devastating body shot In the fifth round. The victory saw Khan become a major draw at light welterweight, and a clash with Timothy Bradley for the undisputed crown was surely just around the corner.
4. Chris Algieri
Ultimately, however, that money-spinning undisputed fight never came to fruition, and Khan would lose his gold. He was firstly beaten by Lamont Petersen in controversial circumstances, before being dropped three times en route to a stoppage defeat against Danny Garcia. Those back-to-back defeats forced Khan to rebuild and he did exactly that, going up in weight to pick up impressive victories against Julio Diaz, Luis Collazo, and Devon Alexander.
His toughest test would then come in May 2015 against Chris Algieri at the newly built Barclays Center. Algieri had just shockingly beaten an all-time great, a fighter known for his durability and movement, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Algieri had previously faced Manny Pacquiao and was no stranger to high-profile bouts. There is still talk of Pacman fighting today at the age of 45, with the latest boxing odds at Bovada making him a +250 underdog for a potential clash against British star Conor Benn.
But Pacquiao ultimately defeated Algieri, and Khan would do the same, displaying his versatility and ability to adjust his strategy during the fight. Despite Algieri’s resilience and pressure, Khan’s superior speed and technical prowess allowed him to control the bout, ultimately winning by unanimous decision. The victory was supposed to catapult Khan into title contention, but ultimately he suffered a brutal knockout defeat at the hands of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez a year later, spelling the beginning of the end.
