ON THIS OCCASION there was no mystery man in a blue hat lurking ringside.
Amir Khan should have no cause for complaint after he was comprehensively beaten by Danny Garcia after a fourth-round stoppage in their light-welterweight title fight in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The Bolton boxer may have edged the opening two rounds of this WBA-WBC title unification bout but the night did not end well.
Garcia unleashed a series of explosive combinations thereafter that left his opponent reeling.
Khan sensed he had the upper-hand at the mid-point of round three but he dropped his defenses and received a stinging lefthand counter punch from Garcia that sent him sprawling.
Successive defeats
The former Olympic Silver Medal winner hung on to hear the bell ring at the end of a frantic round and was steeled after a minutes’ rest and a stern talking to by his corner.
He attempted to turn the tables on Garcia but, in seeking to attack, failed to protect his head sufficiently. It would prove costly.
The power of Garcia’s punches forced Khan backwards and he took a huge right that upended him via the bottom rung of the ropes. The 25-year-old convinced referee Kenny Bayless that he was fit to continue.
Garcia then unloaded a flurry of lefts and rights, two blows making solid connections to Khan’s temple, and another trip to the canvas followed.
Once again Khan rose but looked unsteady on his feet. Bayless weighed up the situation and called an end to the fight.
YouTube credit: MUSICSCHMUCK
Where now?
After the bout, Khan declared that he had been eager to fight on.
He said, “I was a little surprised the referee stopped it. I thought he was going to let us continue.
My mind was clear and I thought my legs were OK but I respect the referee, the judges and the commission, maybe they made the right call.”
Khan’s record is now 26-3 and the Garcia defeat was his second in succession. The result raises serious doubts about his ability to attract high-calibre opponents such as Floyd Mayweather Jr into the ring.
Garcia’s record is 24-0, with 15 knockouts, and his future is a whole lot rosier.
