Amir Khan must not underestimate tough Ukranian Kotelnik

Make no mistake about it - Amir Khan´s July 18th challenge for Andriy Kotelnik´s WBA junior welterweight title at Manchester’s M.E.N Arena is no forgone conclusion. 22 year old Khan will start as a firm favorite to win his first world title, but the Hamburg based Ukrainian is tough and durable, with a wealth of experience both as an amateur and a pro.

We UK fight fans know all about young hotshot Amir Khan, the good-looking kid from Bolton who fights like a young Oscar De La Hoya. We know how he seems huge at his weight, dwarfing all of his opponents, and overpowering them with a relentless combination of speed and power.

We also suspect, but don’t like to dwell on, the possibility that his chin might be less than concrete..

Just two fights ago, Khan was knocked out in 54 seconds by the oddly named but vicious punching Colombian Breidis Prescott. By any reckoning, this was a crushing setback. Khan appeared to have a serious flaw in his boxing makeup, one that would hamper his aspirations of reaching the very top.

Let´s take a closer look at what happened that night less than a year ago in Manchester.

Both fighters came out fast, gloves held high. Both men are tall for lightweights, but Khan looks much bigger than Prescott.

Twenty seconds into the fight, Prescott catches Khan high on the temple with a scything left hook. From that moment on, the fight is effectively over; Khan’s equilibrium is completely shot, and from there on in he is fighting on instinct.

Seconds later, a defenseless Khan is caught by another of those hooks. If you haven’t seen the punch, check it out on Youtube. You can watch it in slowmo if you so wish. Look at the amount of leverage Prescott gets on the punch before it connects. That punch would have finished off any lightweight in the world.

Amir Khan desperately needs to win the WBA belt, a title that is in effect a key to a private club that has names like Pacquiao, Hatton, Cotto, Mosley and Mayweather as it´s exclusive membership. This fight should be highly competitive and surprisingly close, but with Freddy Roach in his corner, AKhan will grab the first of what could be many world titles.