Khan calls out Mayweather after unanimous decision win

New York

Amir Khan had to dig deep – perhaps too deep on this particular night to validate his claim to be a certain Mayweather-beater in the making – but still proved he has the skill and speed to challenge the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. And, by the way, the chin to survive the majority of what they can throw at him.

Khan came up against a very different Chris Algieri from the runaway American who was knocked down six times on the way to a humiliating defeat by Manny Pacquiao in Macau a few months ago. 

The native New Yorker came to fight in his home town and made Khan work valiantly for the victory which keeps his dreams of a return to the world title big time alive and punching. As ever with Khan, it was exciting.Perhaps too exciting in the first half of the fight.

Punches, glass jaw 

The early rounds were split between Algieri’s bigger-looking punches and Khan’s speedy combinations. And although Algieri is not the meatiest puncher in the world, some of his blows shook Khan.

But that so-called glass jaw did not come even close to being shattered, even though the best of Algier’s work heightened the drama for an animated Premier Boxing Champions crowd in Brooklyn’s resplendent Barclays Centre.

There were times in the opening six rounds that the New Yorkers roared in hope and Khan’s army fell virtually silent. But through it all the young man from Bolton stuck to his boxing, kept up the speed of his movement and punching – and got the better of most of the brawls into which Algieri dragged him from time to time.

If it was not quite the dazzling statement Khan was seeking to catch the eye of America and embarrass Floyd Mayweather into finally giving him that super-fight, maybe it served another purpose.

Mayweather will surely study this intently and may decide that if Khan could make unexpectedly hard work of Algieri then this Englishman is a Money-making risk worth taking.

Khan acknowledged: “We all want to fight Floyd Mayweather. But when you wait so long for something it can set you back. I did not want to look past Algieri or any other fighter.”

But when he’s in all-action fights like this, Khan is certainly good box office. Even the flaws made for a more exciting fight than the Mayweather-Pacquiao anti-climax four weekends earlier. Khan praised Algieri “for coming forward more than I expected and having a good chin.”

Algieri disappointed 

Algieri was “disappointed that the judges seemed to like Khan being cagey and spinning off even though I thought I landed the cleaner shots and hurt him several times, especially to the body.”

Khan knew he needed to make a good impression against Algieri, who looked not only the taller but distinctly the larger welterweight on the night. He set about doing so with controlled, rapier accuracy. Under his new trainer this was a more aggressive, composed New Yorker but although there was a frisson of alarm when he rocked Khan with a right, this was Amir’s round

Weak chin 

Despite his reputation for a weak chin Khan showed no ill affects from that one big right as he went back to business in the second. But Algieri again landed the more powerfully, this time with a sharp left and hurtful right, to nullify Khan’s speedy combinations.

Algieri – who had run from Pacquiao for their entire fight last November – was forcing the fight now. Khan needed all his expertise to keep the super-fit New Yorker at bay and he probably edged the round with a couple of clean blows in the final minute.

Unexpectedly it was Khan’s chin which was being tested as much as his skills. He withstood a succession of solid rights and lefts admirably but this was not going according to script. The local chants for Algieri began to drown out Khan’s army as the home boy enjoyed his best round.

Khan needed to raise his game and did so at the start of the fifth but looked a shade fortunate to have knockdown scored against him. Although there was an element of a slip Algieri did land a punch and looked very disappointed with referee Mark Nelson.

Khan asserted an element of control as they reached halfway. His combinations were more fluent and his accuracy sharper as he enjoyed a relatively comfortable sixth round. Algieri, hoping his strength regime would prevail, began leaning on but Khan held up under the physical pressure and took the seventh.

Each man hurt the other at the start of the eighth – Algieri landing a swinging right, then Khan rocking him with a crisp left hook. It was turning into a brawl but Khan was landing correctly more often.

Into what they call the championship rounds and Khan was boxing like one now. A right uppercut almost dropped the American, who reeled again moments later from a powerful left hook.

The knockout

Algieri went into the 11th needing a knockout but did not appear to have the power to land the concussive blow. Khan, landing and moving well now, continued to enhance his lead and at times was connecting at will to the head and body. A sporting touch of gloves at the bell seemed to indicate that both men knew that barring a Hail Mary of a punch the fight was resolved.

Algieri was in magnificent condition and kept coming forward to the end but was being picked off by a superior boxer. The crowd were on their feet for a grandstand finish. Both men raised their arms in expectation but Algieri was in need of a very home town decision.