Being billed in the UK as 'The Man Who Would Be King', Amir Khan faces Andreas Kotelnik for the WBA junior welter weight title at the Manchester MEN Arena on Saturday night.
Khan, making his first appearance at the weight, hopes that after four years of plying his trade as a pro with a record of 20 victories from 21 fights he can erase the memories of his crushing defeat at the hands of heavy hitting Colombian Breidis Prescott and take the title.
The Olympic silver medalist won't be in for an easy time as Kotelnik is an experienced fighter with a record of 31 wins from 34 fights. Kotelnik possess sound boxing skills and although he only has 13 kayos in his 31 fights can hit reasonably hard, which will be worrying for Khan who has been rocked numerous times.
Khan faced the wily old legend Marco Antonio Barrera in his last fight and despite clearly being in control, the 5th round technical decision victory was marred by a clash of heads that caused blood to stream into Barrera's eyes and left him effectively fighting blind. The referre called a halt to the action as Barrera clearly could not continue and the fight thus went to the score cards where Khan had racked up a convincing lead.
Kotelnik on the other hand won a split decision against his mandatory Marcos Maidana in a 12 round duel in Rostock, Germany. What is important about this is, is that Maidana, a heavy handed Argentine, recently stopped hot prospect 'Vicious' Victor Ortiz in six rounds. The fact that Kotelnik was able to go 12 rounds with Maidana who effectively broke Ortiz' spirit and forced him to quit, speaks volumes of Kotelnik's pedigree.
The immediate questions to ask are, how will Khan operate in the 140 pound division? Will moving up in weight improve Khan's punch resistance? Has the masterful Freddie Roach come up with a game plan that can ensure victory for the young man from Bolton?
Khan will have to be on his A game to secure the win here, he will have to box masterfully and use his hand speed advantage. Although he may not be able to stop Kotelnik, he may be able to overwhelm him with the volume of punches he can throw. He will also have to make sure that his defence is tight, he employed a tight high guard against Barrera in order to protect his chin and he will have to ensure that he does not allow his guard to drop.
Kotelnik on the other hand will know that timing off sets speed so he will have to be precise with his timing to counter the fast hands of Khan. Despite Khan's seemingly weak chin, Kotelnik should not go head hunting as he will be leaving himself open to Khan's shots.
The fight promises to be an intriguing battle between the two junior welter weights, and by Sunday morning either a new king will have been crowned, or a young pretender will have fallen attempting to take the thrown.
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