Amir Khan a Victor Once Again

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

Pakistani-Brit boxer Amir Khan broke his losing streak and defeated previously unbeaten Carlos Molina this past weekend. In the process, Khan forced Molina’s corner to stop the bout after 10 rounds, blood streaming from near their fighter’s left eye. Molina was fighting in front of his hometown Los Angeles fans.

Khan (27-3, 19 knockouts) gained a measure of redemption after firing famed trainer Freddie Roach after two consecutive losses. He had replaced him with Virgil Hunter and trained in Hunter’s native San Francisco Bay Area.

Hunter instilled an increased reliance on Khan’s boxing skill, with an additional emphasis on defensive withdrawals when necessary as well as speedy punches. It was a strategy that worked, as Khan out-punched Molina 312-87, and won all 10 rounds on each of the three judges’ scorecards.

“I stuck to my game plan and that meant I stuck to my jab,” Khan said. “I’m getting better at boxing, being a complete fighter.” Punch statistics showed he landed 156 jabs to Molina’s 19, and Khan relied on that punch to continually frustrate Molina (17-1-1) in the junior-welterweight bout. “I wanted to pull the trigger, but for some reason I couldn’t let my hands go,” Molina said. “He was fast with his jab. I was hesitant because of his long reach.”

Khan entered the arena desperate for a win. On the heels of consecutive losses — a controversial split-decision to hometown fighter Lamont Peterson in Washington, D.C., last December, and a stunning fourth-round technical knockout defeat against Danny Garcia in July — he was eager to adhere to a strategy of avoiding unwise engagement, retreating from trouble and hitting with quick combinations.

Khan’s performance leaves him positioned for a rematch with Garcia, although he might fight again before that, perhaps against Riverside’s Josesito Lopez in April at Staples Center. “I’m my own biggest critic, I looked at the things I did wrong in my losses,” Khan said. There were rumors after the fight that Khan had broken his hand during the bout, but Khan dispelled all such rumors as false.

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