Amir Khan’s speedy punches saw off Marco Antonio Barrera in the fifth round of Saturday’s lightweight bout, marking a turning point in his career six months after a major setback in the same arena.
The 22-year-old Briton won on a technical decision after a disciplined battering of the outclassed Mexican, who was covered in blood after a cut to his forehead in a clash of heads in the first round.
The tide of blood pouring down Barrera’s head was never stemmed and the ringside doctor eventually called a halt to the bout.
PHOTO: AFP
‘MAKE OR BREAK’
Khan’s gamble to fight a seven-time world champion 13 years his senior paid off, with the 2004 Olympic silver medalist banishing memories of being humiliated by Breidis Prescott in 54 seconds last September in style in his 21st professional bout.
“This fight was make or break for me, but I felt so comfortable it seemed liked easy work catching him with the jabs,” Khan said. “I’m happy with the performance. I mustn’t have done much wrong in that fight.”
Khan has been transformed by trainer Freddie Roach and sparring with pound-for-pound great Manny Pacquiao — sessions he felt were tougher in the end than the fight itself at MEN Arena.
“The jabbing and patience — I felt so strong. You could see the difference,” Khan said. “I had to take some shots in that match. I made some mistakes in the past and I’m not going to make them again.”
Now Khan wants a shot at a title and promoter Frank Warren said he hopes to set it up.
“I proved to a lot of people how good I am and ended the criticism I’ve been getting,” Khan said.
On the undercard, Ola Afolabi claimed a cruiserweight title by knocking out Enzo Maccarinelli, while Roman Martinez knocked out Nicky Cook to win a super-featherweight belt.
Afolabi’s decisive right hook in the ninth round knocked out Maccarinelli (29-3), the Welshman who lost the WBO title to David Haye last March.
“I trained hard, was nice and fresh but I think my lack of sparring told,” Maccarinelli said. “Take nothing away from Afolabi, I took him too lightly and I got beat.”
Afolabi (14-1-3, 6 KOs), who was born in London of Nigerian parents but now lives near Los Angeles, won the belt Haye vacated when he moved up to heavyweight.
SUPER-FEATHERWEIGHT
Earlier, Martinez knocked out Cook in the fourth round to capture the WBO super-featherweight belt that Cook had held since September.
Cook was in control of his first defense until he was floored by a left uppercut from Martinez (21-0-1, 13 KOs) in the fourth round.
Shortly after Cook got up from the canvas, the Puerto Rican mandatory challenger landed a powerful left hook. As Cook (29-2) struggled to get up again, referee Dave Parris called a halt.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later