(Main photo image credit: Lucas Noonan/Premier Boxing Champions)
Last night Premier Boxing Champions held yet another action packed event at the Barclays Center as Amir King Khan won a hard fought, unanimous decision victory over Chris Algieri.
In front of a raucous crowd comprised of Pakistani flags and chants of “AMIR” and “U-S-A,” Khan had to dig deep to beat the tough Long Island native. His chin, suspect to many fans after being KOd earlier in his career by Breidis Prescott (1st round) and more recently by Danny Garcia in 2012 (4th round), was constantly tested and Khan maintained and pushed the fast pace.
I thought I worked well inside, said Khan. Ive never done a lot of work in the pocket like that and I plan to do more of that in the future. I give Chris his credit. He came forward a lot more than we thought he would and he had a big chin tonight.
(photo credit: Lucas Noonan/Premier Boxing Champions)
The fight saw Khan advance to 31-3, extending his current win streak to five fights over a list of fighters that Carlos Molina, Julio Diaz, Luiz Collazo and Devon Alexander. Khan, who was in the running for a shot against Floyd Mayweather but eventually lost the bid to Marcos Maidana, wants to be the last fight for Money and he is making no secret of it.
Everyone knows I want Floyd (Mayweather) next after all the talk about it, but when you wait and hope for something for this long it can set you back. I dont want to overlook any other fighters, including Chris.
Algieri has lost his second fight to yet another high profile pugilist. His last fight against Manny Pacquiao saw him deliver the worst performance in his career and last night was about setting the record straight on his ability.
Last night’s performance helped turn heads and perceptions about Algieri as he fought hard for all twelve rounds, including being the hunter and aggressor throughout the fight. But this would be confusing to some based upon the judge’s scores of 117-111 (twice) and 115-113 in favor of Khan.
Chris gave it his all tonight, said Khan. This is the best Algieri weve seen in a long time, and if hed have fought Manny (Pacquaio) that way he might have won.
Algieri, as usual, effused confidence.
I thought I pressured Khan well and got my touches, said Algieri. He definitely didnt like it when I got into his body. I thought I hurt him several times, but Khans a cagey fighter and he spins off. I guess the judges liked that tonight. I would think the cleaner, harder shots would get a little more respect.
(Photo credit: Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment)
The two made their PBC debut last night on Spike TV as Al Haymons boxing wunderkind continues to prove its validity.
I think PBC is fantastic, said Algieri. The focus is on the fighters, not the politics or the promoters. This is helping bring the sport back to boxings glory days of primetime events for the fans.
Khan reflected the same sentiment.
My first show with PBC has been great. The New York crowd was awesome and really got into it. The promotion was excellent ad Im proud to be a part of this team.”
After the fight, questions surfaced as to whether Amir had displayed the skills necessary to take on the undefeated champion, Floyd Mayweather. Amir has made it known that he wants a shot at “TBE,” but after last night, fans are doubting that he has what it takes to be in the ring with the Champ. But Khan is pushing the doubters aside with an overt nod towards his skills and continued improvement, especially in regards to his hand speed and chin.
Next September Floyd Money Mayweather will decide who gets to dance with him at his retirement fight and Khan is courting him hard via the media. Last night gave Khan a step closer to his goal and potentially the biggest UK-US war since the American Revolution.
Will history repeat itself? Only time will tell, but Khan is ready for another trip to America.
