Amir Khan or A Mere Con? You be the Judge…

By Chip Mitchell

The court summons reads as follows:

Mr. Khan/Con, you are hereby summoned to appear at the courthouse, Washington, DC Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place, NW, District of Columbia 20001. Judgment may or may not be taken against you on the tenth day of December 2011 at 11:00pm. The judge presiding on that evening will be Lamont Peterson.

Until then, let’s have a mock trial of our own….

The Jury

The jury is boxing fans and media, the world over!

Witnesses for the Defense

The defense will call:

Paulie Malignaggi
Zabdiel “Zab” Judah
Dmitriy Salita
Marco Antonio Barrera

Witnesses for the State
The state will call:
Paul MCloskey
Marcos Rene Maidana

Star Witness for the State
Breidis Prescott

“All rise. Court is now in session! The state will call its first witness”. The state calls…

Paul McCloskey

The in-ring testimony shows that you had a few problems with McCloskey’s unorthodox style. Your speed was superior, as it is against most opponents. That is a fact that we cannot dispute. However, you weren’t able to hit McCloskey cleanly for most of the fight. You were a bit befuddled and some say that as Paul began to get stronger, you were beginning to breathe as if you were wearing down. McCloskey employed a middle of the ring rope-a-dope style to tire you out. It was beginning to work. History shows that you are a bit suspect in the later rounds (see 11th round vs. Kotelnik and 10th round vs. Maidana). The statement you were trying to make with your power never materialized. Your speed and busy pace gave you a lead on the cards, but evidence shows that fans were not happy based on boos heard throughout the M.E.N. Arena. The medical expert testimony given by the doctor about that night just doesn’t fly. McCloskey’s cut was no worse than any fight in recent memory that was allowed to continue. One can only wonder what would’ve happened in the later rounds.

Marcos Rene Maidana

In-ring testimony here says not only were you fortunate that the referee allowed you to finish the fight, but you were just as privileged to receive the victory. You were out on your feet. One big shot away from losing your WBA strap. At first, you talked about how solid your chin must have been to withstand Maidana’s devastating power. That’s good testimony on your part. However, the rebuttal you mustered up in the aftermath was that Maidana never hurt you. Which one is it? Is this Khan speaking or are you trying to Con us? Many felt Maidana deserved the win in this fight. The same Maidana who struggled against a dinosaur named Erik Morales and again in his hometown against a shot fighter named Chop Corley. The battle with Maidana was a chance for you to separate from the pack of contenders in your weight class. In Round 1, the body shot you landed almost put you to the top of that list. Unfortunately, this fight went into the late rounds. The question that remains is if you would’ve had Maidana in the same trouble as he had you, would the referee have stopped the bout. Hmm. The blueprint to beat you seems to be to take you into deep water and… well you know the rest….

After a brief recess, the state puts its star witness on the stand.

Breidis Prescott

A confident Prescott takes the stand and begins to tell his story. He speaks about one of the “easiest fights” of his career. The fight took place in your backyard and within seconds, it was over. Gone is 54 seconds! Breidis Prescott aka The Khanqueror. A young man who has losses to Paul McCloskey (I hear Paul came on late in that one), and Miguel Vazquez (a Timothy Bradley victim who many feel blew Prescott out by much larger scores than announced). He beat you and he’s been calling you out for a rematch. It is the ultimate litmus test for you but you’ve failed to respond. Many observers feel he caught you cold with a lucky punch early on and that you’d outbox him or maybe stop him in a rematch. However, you act as if Breidis doesn’t deserve a rematch with ‘King Khan’. Prescott hasn’t helped himself recently with what turned out to be his fourth loss (Mike Alvarado). But then again, that makes your loss to him look even more suspect.

The prosecution rests. Defense calls….

Paulie Malignaggi

The in-ring evidence shows that you fought a magnificent fight. This was definitely a King Khan performance! Paulie’s testimony? “He is stronger, bigger, and faster”. “He was very busy; I couldn’t keep up with him”. Hats off to you on this one, Amir. Strong testimony in support of ‘Amir Khan’!

Dmitriy Salita

To put it simple, in this battle you “Prescotted” Salita. You scored three knockdowns in the first round. Gone in 76 seconds! It was Salita’s first and only loss up to this point. It was your first title defense and you were spectacular! Salita has gone on to win three straight, including a local championship (NY State welterweight title). More evidence in support of ‘Amir Khan’.

Zabdiel “Zab” Judah

After a war of words on Twitter, you agreed to fight Zab. You brought the jab out of your arsenal and it kept Judah at bay round after round after round. You landed a low blow (I say low based on the referee’s pre-fight explanation of where the legal beltline was) and sent Judah to the canvas in pain. I considered the punch low. I was upset at the referee’s call. I felt Zab’s pain (not literally). I backed Zab, but I’m not sure about his explanation that the punch was low and “jammed the cup in my (testicles)”. The consensus seems to be that you were up big against Zab and he found a way to quit. Although the punch seemed low, it didn’t appear to be something that would keep a world-class fighter down. Up until then, you were dominating the rounds and it was a solid performance. This is good testimony for the defense.

Marco Antonio Barrera

Some say a win-is-a-win-is-a-win. In round one of your bout with this legend, a head-butt caused a deep gash on Barrera’s forehead. Up until that point, you were ahead on all scorecards and in the eyes of the fans. You were quick, accurate and very confident. It was great to beat a Hall of Famer in light of your brutal loss to Prescott a few months earlier. Another win added to the résumé of ‘Amir Khan’.

Jury Deliberation

Both sides presented solid evidence. The Judah fight was stopped early. However, Mr. Khan/Con was up big. Mr. Khan/Con was up against Barrera, no doubt. However, the decision to check Barrera’s cut was made too late. Instead of checking before the fourth round, (a no-contest), the doctor waited until after the round started (a Khan/Con victory). The McCloskey fight was anticlimactic, but Khan/Con was ahead in the fight. A solid win over Malignaggi. A shaky and controversial decision over Maidana, but still a win. Some highs and lows, but Khan/Con only has one loss on his ledger. We’ve reached a verdict.

The Verdict

The courtroom is packed and the decision is passed to the judge. The judge confirms with all jurors and the verdict is…

Hung Jury! The book is still out on Amir Khan. On December 10, will Lamont Peterson bring us closer to finding out if Amir Khan is A Mere Con? I’m not sure. Fans stay tuned. I have a strange feeling that by this time next year, we will finally have our answer.

Jury, this case is not over. However, you may discuss this case with anyone you feel like at anytime. Mr. Khan, you are free to go. For now…