Amir Khan’s controversial win Against Paul McCloskey

By Ryan Taylor

On Saturday night Amir Khan defended his WBA light welterweight title against Paul McCloskey, the fight ended in a controversial point’s decision at Manchester’s MEN Arena.

In the sixth round a cut above McCloskey’s eye caused by a clash of heads resorted in the ringside doctor to examine the eye causing the referee to stop the fight. The fight went to the score cards and all three judges scored the fight 60-54 in favour of Amir Khan.

McCloskey’s manager Barry Hearn was furious that his charge was not given the chance for his corner to work on the eye and labelled the decision a “disgrace” and demanded a rematch.

Khan was in control of the fight up until the stoppage but at times seemed short of ideas, the awkward southpaw challenger McCloskey proved not only did he have an awkward style but that he also possessed an iron chin against Khans sharp, snappy punches.

McCloskey hardly threw any meaningful shots at Khan other than the occasional big left hook, although the challenger did seem comfortable in the fight and wasn’t in any trouble.

This did however change at the end of the fifth round though when Khan landed a right left combination which seemed to stun McCloskey for the first time during the fight.

In the sixth round Khan managed to follow up again on the previous rounds action when he stunned and rocked McCloskey. The contest is then stopped by the referee as a cut, possible from a clash of heads during the tussle opens above McCloskey’s left eye.

The referee consults the ringside doctor and the fight is stopped when the cut is deemed too serious for the fight to continue, at the disbelief of the 17,000 fans.

McCloskey’s manager Barry Hearn said, “It is a shameful decision, we will make a complaint and we want a re-match. I have been in the game a long time and I am absolutely astonished, I cannot believe that fight was stopped.”

Khan responded, “He didn’t win one round, I was hurting him, I wasn’t tired, and I promise you if it had gone two more rounds he would have been knocked out. There is no point in a rematch.”

Khan is now eyeing a unification clash with WBC/WBO titlist Tim Bradley in July.

Results from the undercard:

Martin Murray W TKO4 John Anderson Carvalho

Rendall Monroe W UD12 Andrei Isaeu

Lee Purdy W TKO5 Craig Watson

Andy Murray W PTS8 Graeme Higginson

Gary Buckland W PTS8 Oscar Chacin

Richard Towers W RTD4 Raman Sukhaterin

Jamie Kavanagh W PTS6 Sid Razak

Kid Galahad W PTS4 Dai Davies