Why Amir Khan WONT Beat Tim Bradley

Just watched the Khan v McCloskey fight. I've been fairly adament that Khan doesnt have what it takes to beat Bradley because he has clumsy footwork offensively and does not cope well with effective pressure. After tonights fight I'm even more convinced Khan cannot beat Bradley. To me Khan lacks real power in his punches and will not have the pop to hurt Bradley. Also he is far too easy to hit - his guard is high but easy to penetrate and he forgets it all together when pressured. Finally, he lacks a boxing brain - not only does he fight fire with fire when he should cover up, but he seems unable to work his oppponents out. Ive only ever seen khan look good against technical opponents that stand off him and try to box. He uses his range and jab to out point them, but tonight he couldnt work out McCloskey. PM came in with his head low, was awkward and obviously also a southpaw. Khan seemed to have no tactics and looked pretty poor it has to be said.

Here are the reasons I believe Bradley beats Khan:

1. The biggets one - he cant handle pressure. Look how he struggled with maidana, he doesnt know how to tie opponents up or turn them and move out of range. Instead he hangs onto one arm allowing himself to be punched inside, particularly with uppercuts, and he fights fire with fire as he doesnt know what else to do and panics. Bradley is a much better inside fighter than Khan and maidana. He's quicker and more accurate up close than maidana and khan wont be able to handle him inside.

2. Poor footwork - Khan gets wild when attacking his opponents, his offensive footwork becomes clumsy and leaves him open to counters as he moves forward. Paulie and maidana were able to exploit this. When khan tries to back off his opponents he does so in straight lines which leaves him open to wide, looping shots - see the way he was nearly knocked out by maidana in the 10th. Bradley throws a lot of these kind of shots and khan will be in great danger of getting tagged as he tries to back off from the pressurising style of bradley.

3. Power - lack of. Khan is NOT a big puncher, he's fast but always wins via TKO due to accumilative speedy flurries. Bradley has been down before but not because he has a bad chin but because he sometimes leaves himself vulnerable when throwing wide shots. Khan wont be able to get bradley to respect his power which means he wont be able to keep him off him for 12 rounds. This is particularly pertinent as bradley is an excellent 12 round fighter who comes on strong in the championship rounds. Khan look knackered in the last 3 rounds against maidana, has sacked ariza and was rumoured to have struggled to make weight for McCloskey yesterday.

4. Boxing brain - as I said above khan doesnt seem able to work out opponents who dont just stand off him and try to fight a technical fight. Maidana was a crude stalker but khan seemed unable to utilise his own speed or jab or deal with maidanas pressure, McCloskey was awkward and khan ended up looking less than stellar.

5. Other key factors such as Bradley being physically stronger and more imposing than anyone khans faced as well as being a more than competent technical boxer himself all add to make me think than Khan will have a seriously hard time a) figuring out bradley, b) hurting him, c) outlasting him and d) coping with his effective pressure and strength.

All things point to a late Bradley win IMO.

Good points, SB, pretty convincing argument.When he threw caution to the wind against Maidana, he maybe made a macho point but it did set alarm bells ringing.Is Roach drilling it into him to keep a clear head when under pressure?You betcha butif he hasn't got the boxing brain, as you say, it will all mean nought.
Guess we have to say the jury's still out til he faces Bradders.Whether he's a Froch, in that he learns the lessons he needs to,or a Hatton...

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I would certainly agree with your first and fourth point.

Khan is clearly not an inside fighter. While excellent at boxing from range, he seems to struggle when a boxer gets up in close and puts in pressure from a tight, confined distance.

His boxing IQ doesnt match his boxing talent either. Rather amateurishly, he often gets carried away and chooses to stand and trade with opponents instead of sticking to a gameplan and out-boxing them.

These factors I feel could prove the most coslty when he fights Bradley next.

His power is decent enough for me. He hurt Malignaggi repeatedly, blew Salita away in the first and almost did the same to Maidana. His power can be lethal in the opening rounds.
However, I also think that his punches appear to lose their sting by the mid rounds and although his flurries will continue to look photogenic, they become somewhat ineffective in terms of damage caused.

I have to admit that I was surprised after the fight when Freddie Roach spoke of possibly fighting Mayweather at 147lbs. After Khan's performance, I thought he would re-consider that potential match-up.

Roach was probably just talking Khan up, no way would he put Khan in with Floyd based on that. I think after this the possibility of Khan Bradley happening might have gone down a little bit to be honest.

I dont want to seem too down on Khan because I want him to do well, but I think hes going to get beat again soon. Fair play to him if he takes Bradley next.

No way would he put him with floyd based on anything Khan has ever done.

I believe you guys seriously over-estimate Bradley and seriously under-estimate Khan. I saw the fight and it went the way I expected. An ugly fight due to Mac's style. He should at least try to take the title from the holder and not pose.

Bradley is good all round. Not special in any particular area. He lacks the speed and chin needed. But he possesses one attribute which could cause Khan serious problems. His head.

Khan is indisciplined the first couple he takes from Bradley he will try and scrap. That just plays right into Bradleys hands. When Khan backs off he does it in a straight line with his hands all over the place Bradley would just put one on his chin and Khan is chinny. Against Maidana Khan was all over the place in the 10th round and most of those punches were arm punches Maidana never had enough left to put real power behind his shots. Khan is better than Bradley when fighting at range but lacks the discipline to do that for 12 rounds. Bradley wins by mid-late stoppage imo.

prettyboy1304 wrote:Khan is indisciplined the first couple he takes from Bradley he will try and scrap. That just plays right into Bradleys hands. When Khan backs off he does it in a straight line with his hands all over the place Bradley would just put one on his chin and Khan is chinny. Against Maidana Khan was all over the place in the 10th round and most of those punches were arm punches Maidana never had enough left to put real power behind his shots. Khan is better than Bradley when fighting at range but lacks the discipline to do that for 12 rounds. Bradley wins by mid-late stoppage imo.

When the stakes are higher, good boxers step up. He took this guy lightly. He wont do that with Bradley. Yes he struggled with Maidana. Maidana can hit hard. His record proves it. That punch he hit khan with would have Kod many people,

Bradley is also chinny by virtue of the fact that he has been decked several times. Khan will be discilplined as he is maturing as a fighter. I reckon he stops Bradley or wide UD.

Bradley has been down by big puncher or clean shots but has got back up and won. Khan has been KOd. I'm not a fan of Khan don't think he beats Bradley and not sure if he would beat Judah. Never seen any proof Khan can keep his discipline.

prettyboy1304 wrote:Bradley has been down by big puncher or clean shots but has got back up and won. Khan has been KOd. I'm not a fan of Khan don't think he beats Bradley and not sure if he would beat Judah. Never seen any proof Khan can keep his discipline.

People put too much stock on the Prescott fight. He got caught cold by a big puncher and in all likelihood, he was weight drained. He's regrouped and bounced back better for it.

He was very disciplined against Kotelnik. I reckon Khan is too closely scrutinised. If he doesn't put on a devestating performance he's cr@p. If he does, his opponent is cr@p. Khan is better than average. Not great, but on his way to top 10 P4P. Bradley on the other hand is over-estimated. Squeaked past a very average Whitter and butted his way to victories.

I've never been a big fan Az but he is a hype job. Not seen a performance yet that shows he could be P4P#1 in the future.

i think you lot are reading too much into it.
if the fight went on, and khan settled down as he was beginning to. he would have had a nice, neat stoppage win over a previously unbeaten fighter.

paul was all over the place, very unorthodox and its very hard to look good against someone like that.

i dont rate bradley too much. i think khan will have enough to win, jab and move for 12 rounds. not get into a war. much like how he won the wba belt in the first place.

azania wrote:I believe you guys seriously over-estimate Bradley and seriously under-estimate Khan. I saw the fight and it went the way I expected. An ugly fight due to Mac's style. He should at least try to take the title from the holder and not pose.

Bradley is good all round. Not special in any particular area. He lacks the speed and chin needed. But he possesses one attribute which could cause Khan serious problems. His head.

Bradley beat Alexander remember? Who's a better opponent than anyone Khan has beaten.

Bradley's chin is in trouble? He's been in with some severe punchers - and not particularly troubled. I point you towards Holt. Holt an ENOURMOUS puncher.

Khan has beautiful handspeed and combinations. His chin is not good. When he gets tagged he retreats. If he gets tagged coming forward he will always be in trouble. He hasn't really fought anyone who fights on the inside.

Anyway - there's an argument for a rematch - that was a premature stoppage. That said - the fight was only ever going one way.

I can entertain arguments for both but calling Bradley chinny, especially in relation to Khan is a bit much.

He been decked (but never knocked out) by hard hitting fighters at welter. Khan has been decked by light hitting superfeathers or lightweights.

Even if you think Bradley is overated the point is I dont think you have to be Floyd Mayweather to beat Khan. Bradley may only be solid and unspectacular but thats all Maidana was and all evidence points to Bradley being a better fighter than Maidana.

Khan has hand speed and being able to box at range over Bradley. Bradley has the better chin and is a bigger puncher. Khan doesn't use his skills as well as he should, he lacks discipline to stay on the outside and box Bradley at range. Against Maidana he made it harder than it had to be. Maidana had very little left in the 10th round of their fight and Khan was all over the place. He sould of boxed Maidana at range but got dragged into a scrap. If that happens against Bradley he won't win. Bradley is a much better fighter than Maidana.

oxring wrote:

azania wrote:I believe you guys seriously over-estimate Bradley and seriously under-estimate Khan. I saw the fight and it went the way I expected. An ugly fight due to Mac's style. He should at least try to take the title from the holder and not pose.

Bradley is good all round. Not special in any particular area. He lacks the speed and chin needed. But he possesses one attribute which could cause Khan serious problems. His head.

Bradley beat Alexander remember? Who's a better opponent than anyone Khan has beaten.

Bradley's chin is in trouble? He's been in with some severe punchers - and not particularly troubled. I point you towards Holt. Holt an ENOURMOUS puncher.

Khan has beautiful handspeed and combinations. His chin is not good. When he gets tagged he retreats. If he gets tagged coming forward he will always be in trouble. He hasn't really fought anyone who fights on the inside.

Anyway - there's an argument for a rematch - that was a premature stoppage. That said - the fight was only ever going one way.

Rematch? Who would pay to watch that bore again?

I understand what you are saying about Bradley. He has been decked a few times and the punches which often causes the most damage are those you dont see or expect. Khan's speed is the difference maker. Yes Tim has fought and beaten better opponents. The key remain's Khan's discipline. The fight is for Khan to lose as he is the better athlete and boxer. I believe against Bradley he will be disciplined.

Yes Khan hasn't got the best chin in the division. But during his LW days he was weight drained. His punch resistance and strength therefore were not as good. The shot he took from Maidana would have ko'd him if he were making the LW division.

prettyboy1304 wrote:Khan has hand speed and being able to box at range over Bradley. Bradley has the better chin and is a bigger puncher. Khan doesn't use his skills as well as he should, he lacks discipline to stay on the outside and box Bradley at range. Against Maidana he made it harder than it had to be. Maidana had very little left in the 10th round of their fight and Khan was all over the place. He sould of boxed Maidana at range but got dragged into a scrap. If that happens against Bradley he won't win. Bradley is a much better fighter than Maidana.

Against Kotlenik Khan showed tremendous discipline. He was fighting scared due to the Prescott debacle. He will need to adopt that approach against Bradley. Maidana may have had little but after that punch landed his adrelenin took over. How many times have we seen boxers seemingly out on their feet only to land a turn-around shot and suddenly start fighting at a frenzied pace trying to end matters. Look at Castillo/Coralles for an example.

I see Khan winning a very scrappy fight due to the clash of styles and Bradley's approach.

azania wrote:

prettyboy1304 wrote:Khan has hand speed and being able to box at range over Bradley. Bradley has the better chin and is a bigger puncher. Khan doesn't use his skills as well as he should, he lacks discipline to stay on the outside and box Bradley at range. Against Maidana he made it harder than it had to be. Maidana had very little left in the 10th round of their fight and Khan was all over the place. He sould of boxed Maidana at range but got dragged into a scrap. If that happens against Bradley he won't win. Bradley is a much better fighter than Maidana.

Against Kotlenik Khan showed tremendous discipline. He was fighting scared due to the Prescott debacle. He will need to adopt that approach against Bradley. Maidana may have had little but after that punch landed his adrelenin took over. How many times have we seen boxers seemingly out on their feet only to land a turn-around shot and suddenly start fighting at a frenzied pace trying to end matters. Look at Castillo/Coralles for an example.

I see Khan winning a very scrappy fight due to the clash of styles and Bradley's approach.

It was more being scared against Kotelink rather than being well disciplined but he has lost that since. He wants to enetertain and doesn't mind having a scrap which plays right into Bradleys hands.

prettyboy1304 wrote:

azania wrote:

prettyboy1304 wrote:Khan has hand speed and being able to box at range over Bradley. Bradley has the better chin and is a bigger puncher. Khan doesn't use his skills as well as he should, he lacks discipline to stay on the outside and box Bradley at range. Against Maidana he made it harder than it had to be. Maidana had very little left in the 10th round of their fight and Khan was all over the place. He sould of boxed Maidana at range but got dragged into a scrap. If that happens against Bradley he won't win. Bradley is a much better fighter than Maidana.

Against Kotlenik Khan showed tremendous discipline. He was fighting scared due to the Prescott debacle. He will need to adopt that approach against Bradley. Maidana may have had little but after that punch landed his adrelenin took over. How many times have we seen boxers seemingly out on their feet only to land a turn-around shot and suddenly start fighting at a frenzied pace trying to end matters. Look at Castillo/Coralles for an example.

I see Khan winning a very scrappy fight due to the clash of styles and Bradley's approach.

It was more being scared against Kotelink rather than being well disciplined but he has lost that since. He wants to enetertain and doesn't mind having a scrap which plays right into Bradleys hands.

Like many boxers, when they feel confident in their fight, they start to entertain and lose some discipline. Many of them can get away with it. Khan cant or didn;t. He fought a very disciplined fight against Kot because he was scared imo. Bradley will scare the bejesus out of him. The prize is also huge and imo he will fight a very disciplined fight.

I don't see it. The fight will be in Vegas and Khans ego will make him to want to entertain. If he did stay disciplined he would win the fight but I just can't see. It might not happen Bradley has said he is keen on moving up to WW he is starting to feel a bit tight at 140lbs.

prettyboy1304 wrote:I don't see it. The fight will be in Vegas and Khans ego will make him to want to entertain. If he did stay disciplined he would win the fight but I just can't see. It might not happen Bradley has said he is keen on moving up to WW he is starting to feel a bit tight at 140lbs.

Khan's ego is not as great as his need for more dollars. He wins and gets more dollars. He loses and its back to the drawing doard. He has a lot of money behind his hype machine and the W is all important.

I reckon Bradley is playing mind games by saying that. He knows Roach and his penchant for catching fighters at their most weakest. It will happen imo.

I disagree completely that Khan raises and lowers his level of discipline.

He tried to fight Maidana the exact same way as Kotelnik but Maidanas style made it far more difficult. It wasnt a conscious decision by Khan to start entertaining or makine the fight a brawl. Hes on his bike for large parts of the fight and is desperate to keep away from Maidana.

Khan fights the same tactics over and over since being with Roach. Hes not an adaptive fighter. He sint concerned with what his opponent will do. His style is to do what he does best and hope his opponent cant do anthing about it. His gameplan is the same and he sticks to it fairly rigidly.

It will be up to Bradley to disprupt this gameplan. He isnt going to outbox Khan from the outside because he probably doesnt have the speed. I like Khan best against a counter puncher because he can make them chase the fight and his ambush style is difficult for them to cope with as it doesnt give them enough oportunitys to counter Khans fast hands before he gets back out of range.

Bradley isnt a counter puncher though and is happy coming forward. The key issue will be how well he can dictate the range and get close to Khan because Khan wont hold any advantages from close quarters.

People will say Khan is alot faster and therefore should find it easy to stay away from the slower Bradley but Khan was much faster than Maidana too and struggled so Im not convinced. He cant fight on the inside and he cant counter punch effectively either. These are weaknesses, especailly when you know a guy will be chasing you down. You want to be able to use your fast hands to catch them coming in and Khan doesnt do that because hes far more concerned with using his feet to get away.

I also think Bradley is capable of stopping Khan but am nor convinced it works the other way. The only way Khan wins by stoppage for me is if hes dominating the fight away and Bradley cant cope with his hit and run style. Bradley on the other hand I can see winning by stoppage whether hes in control of the fight or not because he only needs one window of success topotentially have Khan in serious trouble.

The acid test will be when Khan is forced to stand and trade. How will he cope. I dont think there is much evidence of him folding or wilting when under pressure. He was on queer street against Maidana yet by the end of the round, was firing back.

Granted Bradley is better than <aidana, but is arguable if he hits nearly as hard. Yes there are still questions about Khan's chin. But too much emphasis is put on his time at LW. Maidana is a serious puncher. Khan withstood it and came back. Bradley doesn't hit as hard as Maidana. A better all round fighter yes.

But, Khan is still improving and his boxing skills will see him through.

azania wrote:The acid test will be when Khan is forced to stand and trade. How will he cope. I dont think there is much evidence of him folding or wilting when under pressure. He was on queer street against Maidana yet by the end of the round, was firing back.

Granted Bradley is better than <aidana, but is arguable if he hits nearly as hard. Yes there are still questions about Khan's chin. But too much emphasis is put on his time at LW. Maidana is a serious puncher. Khan withstood it and came back. Bradley doesn't hit as hard as Maidana. A better all round fighter yes.

But, Khan is still improving and his boxing skills will see him through.

Bradley doen't hit as hard as Maidana but can do it for 12 rounds Maidana never had enough left to finish Khan off Bradley won't get caught out like that he is a better and fitter athlete that Maidana.

I agree, Sugar. Bradley should take Khan.

prettyboy1304 wrote:

azania wrote:The acid test will be when Khan is forced to stand and trade. How will he cope. I dont think there is much evidence of him folding or wilting when under pressure. He was on queer street against Maidana yet by the end of the round, was firing back.

Granted Bradley is better than <aidana, but is arguable if he hits nearly as hard. Yes there are still questions about Khan's chin. But too much emphasis is put on his time at LW. Maidana is a serious puncher. Khan withstood it and came back. Bradley doesn't hit as hard as Maidana. A better all round fighter yes.

But, Khan is still improving and his boxing skills will see him through.

Bradley doen't hit as hard as Maidana but can do it for 12 rounds Maidana never had enough left to finish Khan off Bradley won't get caught out like that he is a better and fitter athlete that Maidana.

That's not giving credit to Khan for withstanding the barrage that followed that punch.

If rumours are true and Bradley having difficulty making weight, he could be in serious trouble if the fight goes past 8 and at a decent pace.

azania wrote:

prettyboy1304 wrote:

azania wrote:The acid test will be when Khan is forced to stand and trade. How will he cope. I dont think there is much evidence of him folding or wilting when under pressure. He was on queer street against Maidana yet by the end of the round, was firing back.

Granted Bradley is better than <aidana, but is arguable if he hits nearly as hard. Yes there are still questions about Khan's chin. But too much emphasis is put on his time at LW. Maidana is a serious puncher. Khan withstood it and came back. Bradley doesn't hit as hard as Maidana. A better all round fighter yes.

But, Khan is still improving and his boxing skills will see him through.

Bradley doen't hit as hard as Maidana but can do it for 12 rounds Maidana never had enough left to finish Khan off Bradley won't get caught out like that he is a better and fitter athlete that Maidana.

That's not giving credit to Khan for withstanding the barrage that followed that punch.

If rumours are true and Bradley having difficulty making weight, he could be in serious trouble if the fight goes past 8 and at a decent pace.

I'm being fair to Khan he took whta Maidana gave him and came back and beat him. Maidana was knackered and never had it in him to finish him off. Bradley isn't struggling to make 140lbs he just said that he felt better in the ring and training at 147lbs. He's a well built guy. The extra muscle he can put on at 147lbs suits the style of fighter he is.

Maidana was knackered because of the beating Khan was handing him. Give credit where credit's due. He took on and beat the most dangerous and available fighter out there. Maidana was more or less unbeaten (robbery against Kotelnic imo) and was rated 4 in his weight behind the other champions.

azania wrote:The acid test will be when Khan is forced to stand and trade. How will he cope. I dont think there is much evidence of him folding or wilting when under pressure. He was on queer street against Maidana yet by the end of the round, was firing back.

Granted Bradley is better than <aidana, but is arguable if he hits nearly as hard. Yes there are still questions about Khan's chin. But too much emphasis is put on his time at LW. Maidana is a serious puncher. Khan withstood it and came back. Bradley doesn't hit as hard as Maidana. A better all round fighter yes.

But, Khan is still improving and his boxing skills will see him through.

Khan wont hold up well if hes forced to stand and trade, especially with someone like Bradley. He will try to avoid it all costs. He had ample opportunities to do it with Maidana but (wisely) did everything in his power to get away or cover up.

I think Maidana was the acid test. It told us he cant/wont stand or trade and hes not much good at close quarters. It all depends if he can do enough with the rest of his game to see him through because if thats taken away from him then I dont see how he wins a fight trading or up close.

I don't think he has the discipline to stay away from the scrap with Bradley. Against Maidana he got drawn in a few times got caught realised it wasn't a good idea and ran. He shouldn't have been drawn into a scrap in the first place. Bradley is much better than Maidana he won't let Khan away if he gets drawn in.

Bradley will make him stand and trade. I see Khan winning the first 4 rounds with Bradley coming on strong between 5-8. Kahn imo is fitter and can fight at a higher tempo that Bradley and will sap Bradley's strength with Tim playing catch up and forcing the fight.

Rounds 56-8 will be crucial to the outcome. If Khan survisev those rounds, I see him stopping Bradley late or wide UD.

prettyboy1304 wrote:I don't think he has the discipline to stay away from the scrap with Bradley. Against Maidana he got drawn in a few times got caught realised it wasn't a good idea and ran. He shouldn't have been drawn into a scrap in the first place. Bradley is much better than Maidana he won't let Khan away if he gets drawn in.

Thats using boxing intelligence. Why fight to your opponent's strength? I dont see Khan fighting to Brad's strength. He will have ot eventually and if he survives, he wins. There will be shaky moments (why khan is exciting) and he will come through.

azania wrote:

prettyboy1304 wrote:I don't think he has the discipline to stay away from the scrap with Bradley. Against Maidana he got drawn in a few times got caught realised it wasn't a good idea and ran. He shouldn't have been drawn into a scrap in the first place. Bradley is much better than Maidana he won't let Khan away if he gets drawn in.

Thats using boxing intelligence. Why fight to your opponent's strength? I dont see Khan fighting to Brad's strength. He will have ot eventually and if he survives, he wins. There will be shaky moments (why khan is exciting) and he will come through.

It's not really boxing inteeligence though because he shouldn't have got drawn into a scrap against Maidana in the first place. Bradley won't let him away with it he is a much better fighter than Maidana and is much fitter so won't tire like Maidana did.

Its boxing intelligence to use your footwork to avoid a scrap. Ali tied up everyone who came close to him. He made sure fights were to his strengths as much as possible. Eventually he had to stand and trade against Frazier. All boxers have to stand and trade eventually.

I have doubts about Bradley's fitness at LWW. Have you seen how ripped he is? Not much body fat there and he must go through hell to make weight.

azania wrote:Its boxing intelligence to use your footwork to avoid a scrap. Ali tied up everyone who came close to him. He made sure fights were to his strengths as much as possible. Eventually he had to stand and trade against Frazier. All boxers have to stand and trade eventually.

I have doubts about Bradley's fitness at LWW. Have you seen how ripped he is? Not much body fat there and he must go through hell to make weight.

Not sure you're right about Bradley tbh he is a good athlete and pro. he puts in the work in the gym and it shows. My point about Khan is it wasn't boxing intelligence to get drawn into a scrap with Maidana in the first place. Bradley won't let him off like he got away with it against a poorer fighter in Maidana.

prettyboy1304 wrote:

azania wrote:Its boxing intelligence to use your footwork to avoid a scrap. Ali tied up everyone who came close to him. He made sure fights were to his strengths as much as possible. Eventually he had to stand and trade against Frazier. All boxers have to stand and trade eventually.

I have doubts about Bradley's fitness at LWW. Have you seen how ripped he is? Not much body fat there and he must go through hell to make weight.

Not sure you're right about Bradley tbh he is a good athlete and pro. he puts in the work in the gym and it shows. My point about Khan is it wasn't boxing intelligence to get drawn into a scrap with Maidana in the first place. Bradley won't let him off like he got away with it against a poorer fighter in Maidana.

He is a model pro (Brad) but I cant see him making LWW without losing something in the process. If you are fighting a brawler, it is inevitable that they will eventually be forced to stand and scrap. Maidana is not that bad anyway. He cuts off the ring adequately to force anyone to stand and trade. I cant see many boxing his ears off without having to take a few digs.

azania wrote:

prettyboy1304 wrote:

azania wrote:Its boxing intelligence to use your footwork to avoid a scrap. Ali tied up everyone who came close to him. He made sure fights were to his strengths as much as possible. Eventually he had to stand and trade against Frazier. All boxers have to stand and trade eventually.

I have doubts about Bradley's fitness at LWW. Have you seen how ripped he is? Not much body fat there and he must go through hell to make weight.

Not sure you're right about Bradley tbh he is a good athlete and pro. he puts in the work in the gym and it shows. My point about Khan is it wasn't boxing intelligence to get drawn into a scrap with Maidana in the first place. Bradley won't let him off like he got away with it against a poorer fighter in Maidana.

He is a model pro (Brad) but I cant see him making LWW without losing something in the process. If you are fighting a brawler, it is inevitable that they will eventually be forced to stand and scrap. Maidana is not that bad anyway. He cuts off the ring adequately to force anyone to stand and trade. I cant see many boxing his ears off without having to take a few digs.

Khan should have had enough to box his ears off he's very one dimensional. Bradley vs Maidana would be a better fight.

Khan didnt choose to get into a scrap with Maidana. If he had his way Maidana would never have got within ten feet of him.

Maidana was just able to close down Khan every so often against Khans wishes. When he did Khan covered up and tried to get away.

I dont think it was to do with Khans intelligence, just his abilty to keep Maidana off him.

manos de piedra wrote:Khan didnt choose to get into a scrap with Maidana. If he had his way Maidana would never have got within ten feet of him.

Maidana was just able to close down Khan every so often against Khans wishes. When he did Khan covered up and tried to get away.

I dont think it was to do with Khans intelligence, just his abilty to keep Maidana off him.

I think thats being unfair to Khan. He got drawn into a scrap by a very capable boxer. He did what he had to do and came out on top. Khan not wanting Maidana within 10 feet of him was a good strategy. Who would want a huge puncher within punching range. When Maidana got close, Khan tied him up and/or fled to safety. Good strategy. When he got caught, he tried to tie him up, run whatever it took. Eventually he stood and traded and towards toe end of the 10th round he had Maidana backing up.

For me it says a lot about Khan's chin and mental strength.

azania wrote:

manos de piedra wrote:Khan didnt choose to get into a scrap with Maidana. If he had his way Maidana would never have got within ten feet of him.

Maidana was just able to close down Khan every so often against Khans wishes. When he did Khan covered up and tried to get away.

I dont think it was to do with Khans intelligence, just his abilty to keep Maidana off him.

I think thats being unfair to Khan. He got drawn into a scrap by a very capable boxer. He did what he had to do and came out on top. Khan not wanting Maidana within 10 feet of him was a good strategy. Who would want a huge puncher within punching range. When Maidana got close, Khan tied him up and/or fled to safety. Good strategy. When he got caught, he tried to tie him up, run whatever it took. Eventually he stood and traded and towards toe end of the 10th round he had Maidana backing up.

For me it says a lot about Khan's chin and mental strength.

Im not criticising his strategy. I think it was correct. The fact is though he struggled to keep Maidana off him.

I rate Maidana as solid but if Khan was able to do any of the things Morales did to Maidana like countering him effectively or catching him on the way in he could have made short work of him. That he wasnt able to do any of this effectively, and that he is virtually inneffective at close range would be a major concern for me.

Basicall hes good if he can fight at distance, if he cant then hes very average.

He is going to be allowed to fight at range against Bradley. He wasn't allowed to against Maidana who isn't as good as Bradley.

Morales was and still is a better inside fighter than Khan will ever be. Khan is far more comfortable fighting at range. Khan is not a good counter puncher also due to his style as he is always on his toes.

It is also highly likely that Maidana underestimated how much left Morales had in his tank. He came in there expecting a blow out. Credit to him for coming on strong in the last 3 rounds.

azania wrote:Morales was and still is a better inside fighter than Khan will ever be. Khan is far more comfortable fighting at range. Khan is not a good counter puncher also due to his style as he is always on his toes.

It is also highly likely that Maidana underestimated how much left Morales had in his tank. He came in there expecting a blow out. Credit to him for coming on strong in the last 3 rounds.

I agree he underestimated Morales so did everyone. He did come on strong but not sure how much that had to do with Morales being knackered.

i think khans short little uppercuts will end up catching bradley at some point in the fight- bradley wades in with his head down swinging and im sure roach knows that and will plan for it. i cant see bradley changing his style for khan so as long as they do there homework and put the training in khan has everything he needs to beat bradley, a long jab, ability to punch whilst retreating and the hand speed to catch bradley when he comes in. KO will or points decesion if bradleys strong enough to take it for 12 rounds, but cant see khan in danger if he comes in with the right stratagey and sticks to it

prettyboy1304 wrote:

azania wrote:Morales was and still is a better inside fighter than Khan will ever be. Khan is far more comfortable fighting at range. Khan is not a good counter puncher also due to his style as he is always on his toes.

It is also highly likely that Maidana underestimated how much left Morales had in his tank. He came in there expecting a blow out. Credit to him for coming on strong in the last 3 rounds.

I agree he underestimated Morales so did everyone. He did come on strong but not sure how much that had to do with Morales being knackered.

Hold on. Earlier you blamed Maidana for gassing against Khan as opposed to Khan making him gass due to work-rate. Now you blame Morales for gassing without giving Maidana the credit for not gasing and coming on strong to win. Hmmmm.

eddyfightfan wrote:i think khans short little uppercuts will end up catching bradley at some point in the fight- bradley wades in with his head down swinging and im sure roach knows that and will plan for it. i cant see bradley changing his style for khan so as long as they do there homework and put the training in khan has everything he needs to beat bradley, a long jab, ability to punch whilst retreating and the hand speed to catch bradley when he comes in. KO will or points decesion if bradleys strong enough to take it for 12 rounds, but cant see khan in danger if he comes in with the right stratagey and sticks to it

Do you see him sticking to it though because he didn't against Maidana and if that happens against Bradley he won't get away with it.

i think he can. he was doing well in that fight- was wobbley in the 10th granted but i think most of the time he was able to play his own game. not perfect but exaclty the kind of experience you need to gain before getting in the ring with bradley.

for me khan raises his game against better opponents, maidana, paulie, etc

Sugar Boy Sweetie wrote:Just watched the Khan v McCloskey fight. I've been fairly adament that Khan doesnt have what it takes to beat Bradley because he has clumsy footwork offensively and does not cope well with effective pressure. After tonights fight I'm even more convinced Khan cannot beat Bradley. To me Khan lacks real power in his punches and will not have the pop to hurt Bradley. Also he is far too easy to hit - his guard is high but easy to penetrate and he forgets it all together when pressured. Finally, he lacks a boxing brain - not only does he fight fire with fire when he should cover up, but he seems unable to work his oppponents out. Ive only ever seen khan look good against technical opponents that stand off him and try to box. He uses his range and jab to out point them, but tonight he couldnt work out McCloskey. PM came in with his head low, was awkward and obviously also a southpaw. Khan seemed to have no tactics and looked pretty poor it has to be said.

Here are the reasons I believe Bradley beats Khan:

1. The biggets one - he cant handle pressure. Look how he struggled with maidana, he doesnt know how to tie opponents up or turn them and move out of range. Instead he hangs onto one arm allowing himself to be punched inside, particularly with uppercuts, and he fights fire with fire as he doesnt know what else to do and panics. Bradley is a much better inside fighter than Khan and maidana. He's quicker and more accurate up close than maidana and khan wont be able to handle him inside.

2. Poor footwork - Khan gets wild when attacking his opponents, his offensive footwork becomes clumsy and leaves him open to counters as he moves forward. Paulie and maidana were able to exploit this. When khan tries to back off his opponents he does so in straight lines which leaves him open to wide, looping shots - see the way he was nearly knocked out by maidana in the 10th. Bradley throws a lot of these kind of shots and khan will be in great danger of getting tagged as he tries to back off from the pressurising style of bradley.

3. Power - lack of. Khan is NOT a big puncher, he's fast but always wins via TKO due to accumilative speedy flurries. Bradley has been down before but not because he has a bad chin but because he sometimes leaves himself vulnerable when throwing wide shots. Khan wont be able to get bradley to respect his power which means he wont be able to keep him off him for 12 rounds. This is particularly pertinent as bradley is an excellent 12 round fighter who comes on strong in the championship rounds. Khan look knackered in the last 3 rounds against maidana, has sacked ariza and was rumoured to have struggled to make weight for McCloskey yesterday.

4. Boxing brain - as I said above khan doesnt seem able to work out opponents who dont just stand off him and try to fight a technical fight. Maidana was a crude stalker but khan seemed unable to utilise his own speed or jab or deal with maidanas pressure, McCloskey was awkward and khan ended up looking less than stellar.

5. Other key factors such as Bradley being physically stronger and more imposing than anyone khans faced as well as being a more than competent technical boxer himself all add to make me think than Khan will have a seriously hard time a) figuring out bradley, b) hurting him, c) outlasting him and d) coping with his effective pressure and strength.

All things point to a late Bradley win IMO.

Opinion not fact.

And Khan will beat Bradley.

D4, if you read the last 3 letters of the OP it states IMO. Now I understand that to mean "In My Opinion". Yes it is opinion. He doesn't pass it over as fact.

Whilst I agree that Khan will beat Bradley, it is still opinion also.

I also agree that Ortiz will beat Pac. My opinion also.