Source: Daily_Mail
Amir Khan v Kevin Mitchell could starts to look irresistible - JEFF POWELL'S BOXING COLUMN
King of New York: Khan shows off his belt in front of the UN building[LNB]Amir Khan and Kevin Mitchell will be thousands of miles distant from each other on Saturday night.[LNB]Khan, having finally been granted his US work visa, is here in the Big Apple defending his world title against an Italian-American New Yorker.[LNB]Mitchell will be on home turf, literally, as he challenges for an interim world title on the football ground of his beloved West Ham United.[LNB]The brilliant young champion of Anglo-Muslim relations is boxing at light-welterweight, where Ricky Hatton once reigned supreme, while the dynamic darling of London's East End is seeking glory in the lightweight division, from which Khan recently moved up a few pounds.[LNB]Khan is reaching out to the wider audience of terrestrial television with his US debut being beamed back to Britain by ITV. Mitchell banks the first of what will surely be many big pay cheques thanks to Sky Sports.[LNB]Worlds apart, then?[LNB]In this fight week, maybe. But the odds on them meeting one day in a great British fight will harden with every victory they each achieve in the next couple of years. [LNB]It would be a match to relish, one which would have the TV networks bidding against each other for the domestic and worldwide rights. It would bring Khan back into the orbit of Frank Warren, the promoter of Mitchell who he left to further his career in America with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy organisation. So a deal should be workable, not least because Bolton's former Olympic silver medallist is promising the home fan-base he amassed under Warren's guidance that he will return to fight in Britain.[LNB]But first, the fights at hand.[LNB] Upton spark: Kevin Mitchell (left) fights at the stadium of his beloved West Ham on Saturday, against Australia's Michael Katsidis[LNB]In prospect Mitchell has the moredifficult task at the weekend, even though the WBO belt at stake doesnot buckle around a full world title.[LNB]Katsidis is an all-action Australian puncher who also draws on his Greek heritage for his warrior instincts. Mitchell, however, came of age as a box-fighter when comprehensively defeating Breidis Prescott, the Colombian who inflicted Khan's only defeat with a first round KO.[LNB]Although Khan is conceding home advantage in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden, there is nothing in Paulie Malignaggi's record or fighting make-up to suggest that he carries the heavy punch which could threaten that suspect British chin.[LNB] Enlarge Head to head: Malignaggi (left) will square up to Khan on Saturday night[LNB]Malignaggi, as usual, is talking a provocative fight but it will take more than words to deflect the high-speed onslaught which Khan will launch in defence of his WBA crown.[LNB]So it is not unreasonable to expect both Mitchell and Khan to take care of business, the first late on Saturday evening, the second in the early hours of British Summer Time on Sunday morning.[LNB]Then, come the dawn these two brilliant young men can start keeping a watchful eye on each other across the Atlantic.[LNB]P.S... Khan's visa - held up for any number of reported reasons ranging from his Pakistani parentage during a wave of bomb scares in New York, to driving convictions in Britain, and tax complications - arrived just in time to spare embarrassment for his new Golden Boy promoters. Khan's US debut was in jeopardy while he was holed up in Vancouver awaiting permission to re-enter the US but it came through just in time for him to fly into New York as scheduled on Sunday.[LNB] [LNB] [LNB]Jim WattGREAT old boxers don't even fade away. They move on to commentating on the exploits of their successors and one of the delights of my job is sitting at ringside in the company of heroes.[LNB]Jim Watt is as engaging to spend time with now as he was thrilling to watch in his prime as the linear world lightweight champion.[LNB]As we watched Floyd Mayweather Jnr go to work in Las Vegas the other night on the aging Shane Mosley, whose preceding defence of his world welterweight title was 15 months earlier, one of Scotland's finest was asked about the infrequency with which today's millionaire pugilists box.[LNB]He replied with a chuckle: 'If you grew up in Glasgow in my day, you had a fight every night.'[LNB]Sky televiewers are treated to Watt's wise and witty punditry at many a big fight, as they will be again this Saturday night when he analyses Kevin Mitchell's challenge for the WBO interim world lightweight title against Michael Katsidis at West Ham's football ground.[LNB]His sharp observations are hewn from the journey which took him from that tough upbringing in the Bridgeton neighbourhood of Glasgow, through his early struggle for recognition of his skilful defensive style, on to his transformation into a complete southpaw champion as defined by a string of battles against some of the world's best fighters of his era.[LNB]Watt was not to know that John H Stracey would become a world-class boxer when they met in the ABA final in 1968. Nor did he much care as he took the amateur title with a first round knock-out.[LNB] Drinks are on me: Watt is presented with a bottle of whisky in 1979[LNB]Later, he had to recover from apoints defeat by his great Scottish contemporary, Ken Buchanan, beforeadding the major international belts to his British title. That he didwith a first round knock out of Andre Holyk in Glasgow's Kelvin Hall towin the European championship. He hallmarked that success in his seconddefence, outpointing Perico Fernandez in Madrid and thereby becomingthe first Scottish boxer to win a title bout in Spain.[LNB]Threefights later, in April 1979, that fabled old hall was at an even higherpitch of fever as he met big-hitting Colombian Alfredo Pitalua for thelinear WBC world title vacated by the legendary Roberto Duran.[LNB][LNB] More from Jeff Powell Boxing Column... JEFF POWELL: Visa fiasco threatens Amir Khan's title defence Stateside03/05/10 JEFF POWELL'S BOXING COLUMN: Better than Pacquiao? I'm better than The Greatest, boasts Mayweather26/04/10 JEFF POWELL'S BOXING COLUMN: Viking Warrior awaits Froch20/04/10 JEFF POWELL'S BOXING COLUMN: Get ready for a retro summer of fights12/04/10 JEFF POWELL'S BOXING COLUMN: Forget Haye... Audley in decisive fight05/04/10 JEFF POWELL'S BOXING COLUMN: Beating Ruiz isn't enough for Haye29/03/10 JEFF POWELL'S BOXING COLUMN: Pacquiao post-script simply fascinates22/03/10 JEFF POWELL'S BOXING COLUMN: Give it up! Roach refuses to help Hatton15/03/10 VIEW FULL ARCHIVEWatt recovered from 'that hardest punchI ever took in the ring' to floor Pitalua on his way to forcing a 12thround stoppage. He then racked up four successful title defences, arecord for a Scot which was not surpassed for almost a quarter of acentury.[LNB]Two more wild Caledonian nights in Kelvin Hall witnessed impressive KOs of first Robert Vasquez, then Irish Charlie Nash who paid for having accused Watt of ducking him.[LNB]Those wins set up a huge a crowd at the Ibrox football ground in 1980 for the brash challenge from Howard Davis Jnr, the then golden boy of the American ring.[LNB]Davis arrived with an insult - 'Jim Watt? Jim Who?' - and left with his tail between his legs after being outclassed in a unanimous points defeat.[LNB]Where Watt's skills had given him that victory, he needed all the ring intelligence he brings now to the microphone to survive the ensuing challenge from another American. Sean O'Grady boasted 73 KOs in 74 fights and seemed on his way to another when Watt suffered a deep gash above the eye.[LNB]The Scot boxed clever for several rounds and then cut O'Grady even more severely in the 12th with an unexpected assault to force the stoppage.[LNB]His first fight in Wembley's Empire Pool proved to be his last in the ring - but even in defeat he garnered huge admiration.[LNB]Alexis Arguello, the legendary Nicaraguan, had a KO reputation, also, but Watt took him the full 15 rounds before surrendering his title....and promptly announcing his retirement.[LNB]Jim's future just outside the ropes was already taking shape and he formed a brilliant commentary team for ITV with Reg Gutteridge.[LNB]The pair moved in 1996 to Sky, where Watt's opinions remain to this day as courageous as his boxing, his demeanour as dignified as he always was be it in victory or defeat.[LNB][LNB] [LNB]Farwell: Danny Williams is retiring[LNB]Good luck, Danny... you'll need itDanny Williams, who knocked out Mike Tyson before losing to Vitali Klitschko on the occasion of his only world heayvweight championship challenge, insists he will retire - this time for good - after defending his British title on the under-card of Mitchell-Katsidis at West Ham on Saturday night. [LNB]The highly popular if somewhat eccentric Williams predicts he will go out with a win against challenger Derek Chisora. Then he plans a future as a bodyguard for celebrities.[LNB]He should watch out on both counts. Chisora is a replacement for Sam Sexton but nonetheless dangerous for that. And we will keep our fingers crossed for our Danny as he goes out on the bouncer circuit, where the Queensberry Rules do not apply.[LNB]McCullough back for the £32,000 PrizeThe Pocket Rocket is coming back... after almost two years out of the ring... after several warnings that boxing may no longer be good for his heath.[LNB]Wayne McCullough, at 39, will be the big name in Barry Hearn's next Prizefighter promotion.[LNB]The former WBC world bantamweight champion has not fought since being forced to retire at the end of the sixth round against Juan Ruiz in the summer of 2008. Prior to that his two consecutive challenges for the world super-bantamweight title ended in defeat, albeit the first by a controversial points decision.[LNB] Beaten: McCullough (white trunks) on his way to defeat by Scott Harrison in 2003[LNB]McCullough is flying over from his virtual retirement home in Las Vegas in the belief that the May 29 super-bantam tournament's format - win three three-round fights in a night to collect the winner's cheque for £32,000 - will suit his all-action style.[LNB]Many of the rest of us will spend the evening fervently hoping that one of the nicest men to lace up the gloves comes to no harm.[LNB]THE OCTAGONSemtex chooses wrong moment to explodeThe latest British fighter to aim for the summit of mixed martial arts not only lost the biggest fight of his life but wrecked his own career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[LNB]Well beaten: Daley (grounded) struggles against Koscheck [LNB]On this disastrous Saturday night in Montreal, Nottingham's Paul Daley was expelled from the UFC for life for throwing a punch in anger after being comprehensively beaten by Josh Koscheck.[LNB]UFC president Dana White immediately pronounced a permanent end to Daley's participation at the highest level of the sport, saying: 'He's done. I don't care if he fights in every other show all over the world and everyone thinks that he becomes the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He will never fight in the UFC again.[LNB]'Yes, we're all human and we all make mistakes but there is no excuse for what he did. These are professional athletes and you don't ever hit a guy blatantly after the bell, whether you are frustrated or not. This was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen because he is one of the most talented 170 pounders in the world.'[LNB]White then confirmed that he is releasing Daley from his UFC contract for that 'cheap shot'.[LNB]Daley's aberration came after he lost all three rounds of his UFC world welterweight championship final eliminator to Koscheck. Daley is nicknamed Semtex for his knock-out hitting power, but having been completely nullified by his opponent's ground wrestling, he swung a punch after the final bell.[LNB]Koscheck goes on to challenge legendary Canadian Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title, while Daley returns to reflect on his self-destruction in the nether regions of mixed martial arts.[LNB]
