On the 16th of April, WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan will step through the ropes to face unbeaten European (EBU) Champion Paul McCloskey. The fight will take place at the M.E.N Arena in Manchester, England, and will be Khan’s first fight in the UK since blowing away Dmitriy Salita in December 2009. Since then Khan has scored a late stoppage over Paulie Malignaggi and won a decision over Marcos Maidana in what was an epic affair.
There was much deliberation over who Khan was to fight in April. Names such as Lamont Peterson, Junior Witter and “Khanqueror” Breidis Prescott were mentioned, but it was the Irishman McCloskey the Khan camp opted for.
Although the European champ may not be as well known as his rival opponents, he does present a different kind of challenge for Amir Khan. So what does Paul McCloskey bring to the table?
He is a man in form and is unbeaten in 22 bouts, and is showing growing maturity in his punching power by stopping his last 5 opponents. Included amongst these was a spectacular one punch knockout against challenger Guiseppe Lauri.
Khan vs. McCloskey Preview
McCloskey’s style is an awkward one. He has developed good skills behind his southpaw stance and can be hard to find at times. However, when hit, as a typical Irish fighter, McCloskey is tough and has shown great determination in the past.
As European Champion, McCloskey has mixed it up with decent opposition, but the most important attribute McCloskey will take into the ring is hunger. He grabbed this opportunity when given to him and knows this is his ‘shot’. In his mind he cannot lose, and in truth, by facing Khan, he has nothing to lose, and this can make a fighter dangerous.
The growth of Amir Khan’s confidence and ability has been evident since losing to Prescott. This being a result of teaming up with legendary trainer Freddie Roach, and developing a better style for his physical assets, along with the wealth of world class sparring available at the famous Wild Card gym. The move up in weight has helped Khan, and his infamous “glass chin” seems to be a thing of the past. In his last fight against knockout artist Marcos Maidana, Khan proved the critics wrong by taking the divisions biggest puncher’s best shots.
In the last 3-4 rounds of that fight Khan had to dig deep and conditioning played a pivotal role in securing the victory. So it has to be asked, will the recent departure of conditioning coach Alex Ariza affect the outcome against McCloskey?
Khan vs. McCloskey Prediction
I expect the fight to be initially competitive until Khan works out the slippery style of McCloskey. I cannot imagine the southpaw stance playing a massive role in the outcome because let’s not forget Khan will have great sparring against the best southpaw in the world, Manny Pacquiao.
McCloskey does not have the physical presence of Maidana, and likewise will not apply such constant pressure. Therefore Khan will have much less to worry about, and once he has found a rhythm, I can see his unbelievable speed taking over. I don’t see Khan taking massive risks in this fight when a unification fight with Timothy Bradley is on the horizon. So, bursts of quick combinations, angles and movement will be the game plan.
For McCloskey to win this fight I believe he will be the one that needs to take the risks. It will be difficult for McCloskey to match Khan’s work rate, so smart boxing could disrupt Khan and the Irishman should take advantage whenever he should find himself on the inside.
Although this fight has presented itself as a ‘tune-up’ fight for Khan before attempting to unify the division, McCloskey should not be overlooked. Khan has learned from previous occasions where he has looked past an opponent. This is why I believe Khan, through speed, angles and work rate will win a unanimous decision in an exciting display.
Prediction: Khan by UD
