Confident Khan won’t slip into complacency again in Vegas
Published:If Amir Khan has learned anything from his shock loss against Lamont Peterson in December 2011, it’s that he should adopt the oft-used footballing cliché of taking one day as it comes.
Plenty of the pre-bout hype surrounded a possible future match-up with Floyd Mayweather, much of which Khan was happy to indulge in himself. Just a month before his eventual controversial loss to Peterson last year, Khan was quoted as saying:
“A Mayweather fight, that can happen in the next 9 to 12 months. It’s a fight that the public wants – it’s a public demand fight and also boxing fans would love to see that fight instead of Mayweather fighting someone they know he’d beat.”
Such big talk was quickly forgotten once Peterson won on points, taking Khan’s WBA and IBF Light Welterweight belts in the process.
But now that Peterson has become embroiled in a drugs controversy, causing the planned rematch this month to be cancelled, Khan could well have one, if not both, of his belts back when he heads to Las Vegas to fight 24-year-old Philadelphian Danny Garcia.
Given a second chance then, one would expect that 1/4 favourite Khan will ensure that his focus remains on this bout and this bout only this time round.
Particularly given that his opponent presents a real and significant danger. Garcia is unbeaten in 24 matches (14 KOs), with his last performance a particularly impressive points victory over Erik Morales in March to claim the WBC light-welterweight title.
Garcia has won his last three fights on points and is 7/1 to repeat the same against Khan in June.
