Can King Khan Conquer the Continent?

As we - along with the thoroughly shook Amir Khan - begin to clear our heads in the aftermath of a brutal clash with Marcos Maidana in Las Vegas, discussions over the future of Bolton’s champion have gathered momentum.

Mandalay Bay proved to be the venue in which Khan finally “silenced his critics”, taking big shots from a hard-hitting light-welterweight to partially dismiss questions over his supposedly fragile chin.

Khan emerged with a unanimous points victory, defending his WBA light-welterweight title for the third consecutive time. The momentum began to build, with Golden Boy Promotions talking up Khan’s chances of taking over the boxing world.

The hype that has accompanied Amir Khan’s career since his magnificent silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics has been growing in intensity; premature speculation about a possible clash with pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. is doing its bit to fuel the fire.

In an interview given back in 2005, Amir Khan – still dripping in the silver of his Athens experience – was just one fight into his professional career.

"I always said as an amateur that I'd want to one day fight and beat Kindelan because he was the best out there,” Khan insisted. “Same thing in the pros. I look out there and I see that Floyd Mayweather stands head and shoulders above everyone else.”

Five years and twenty-four fights later, and talk of a showdown with Pretty Boy Floyd does not seem entirely inconsequential.

Of course, Khan is all but contracted to face the winner of Timothy Bradley vs. Devon Alexander, with trainer Freddy Roach intent on unifying the division before stepping his man up to 147lbs.

In addition, Khan’s training partner, Manny Pacquiao, still presents the most obvious obstacle Mayweather will be expected to hurdle in the upcoming months. However, early 2012 has been widely touted as a timescale for Khan to realise his dream.

Is Mayweather a viable option for Khan, or will the fight come too soon? Does Khan need to prove himself further before getting a shot at the ‘pound-for-pound’ king? What should Khan’s next career move be?

Let us know your thoughts.

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