Photos: Jeff Gross / Getty Images
There comes a point in every fighter’s career where they must except the inevitable, and come to terms with their future, or lack there-of. When the losses start to pile up, illusions of grandeur should, in all fairness, give way to that particular pugilist’s health and safety. In the wake of Amir Khan’s fourth-round knockout loss to Danny Garcia this past Saturday, some have questioned whether the twenty-five year old native of Bolton, England should hang his gloves up for good after his second consecutive loss. And while some fight fans are ready to throw in the towel on the young star, Khan can rest easy knowing that his friends are still in his corner.
After Khan suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Danny Garcia in Las Vegas on Saturday which cost him his WBA Junior Welterweight title as well as the Ring title belt, fellow countryman and pugilist Carl Froch openly stated that Khan should step down and retire. However, not everyone agrees with Froch’s sentiment. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, upon hearing Froch’s viewpoint, was quick to defend Khan against such a notion, and was just as quick to question the perceived marketability of Carl Froch.
In addition, Schaefer also scoffed at the growing impression amongst the boxing community that Amir Khan has a glass chin. Schaefer’s relentless belief in Khan is readily apparent, and his optimism regarding Khan’s future in the sport is unflinching. When questioned, Schaefer told RingTV, “Amir Khan got caught with a punch. But one punch does not change a man. I can assure all fight fans that Amir will be champion again. What we saw from Amir in three rounds is his tremendous offense.” Schaefer also brandished some offense of his own against Carl Froch, and proceeded to fire off some harsh criticisms aimed at the IBF Super Middleweight champion in retaliation for the comments Froch made towards Khan. When asked, Schaefer stated “Carl Froch on the other hand should focus on his own business. No TV network here in the United States is jumping up and down and asking when can we have Carl Froch back.” Indeed, Richard Schaefer has exhibited that he is someone who stands by his fighters through thick and thin.
It’s hard to say where Amir Khan’s career will go from here. On one hand, Khan’s marketability as a top fighter in the sport is seriously in question due to his growing number of defeats, and his chance at becoming the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport someday might have just gone up in smoke for good after Saturday. And yet, all might not be lost. Regardless of whether you believe Khan can rise to the top of the sport or not, it’s hard to deny that Khan’s fights are enthralling, if nothing else. And after the embarrassment that was the Pacquiao vs. Bradley fiasco, boxing desperately needs exciting fights to keep casual and hardcore fight fans alike from turning their back on the sport, if only for a brief period of time.
Boxing, as we are all so keenly aware, is one of, if not the most unpredictable sport around. It’s not out of the question that, at such a young age, Amir Khan will be able to resurrect his career. A professional fighter’s path is often paved with twists and turns that can make or break one’s career, and Khan has been fortunate enough to be marketed in such a way that, due to his high visibility, it might only take two or three wins to put him back on the path to ascendancy. Perhaps Richard Schaefer summed up the attitude in Khan’s camp the best when he stated “This kind of s–t motivates me, and believe me, Amir and I and his entire team will, in the end, be the ones who will have the last laugh.” Wishful thinking or not, with an attitude like that, success is only a stone’s throw away.
