Sky Sports.com

Special features

Blogs & Opinion

Jim Watt:

Recent Comments:

Paul Cook on So spar, so good!

"The performance against Kotelnik proved that Amir is maturing as a fighter. However, I still think he is far from the finished article but with Roach in his corner, who is undoubtedly ... " View all comments

Mark Williams on A classy operator

"A class act indeed. Saw him at his best when he fought Ray Mancini. Was one of the best pound for pound in the world in his day and as Jim Watt says a 'true gentleman'. Farewell champ ... " View all comments

Lewis Phelan on Nowhere left to go

"I feel sorry for Ricky Hatton. Why is he being reffered to as a great boxer in the past tense...he is still a great boxer. The only problem I seen against manny was he was trying too ... " View all comments

Olu Wood on Pointing to Pacquiao

"Hatton will not fight the Pretty Boy ever again, even if he manages to force a decision by holding and nodging Manny in the fight tomorrow. However, I think Hatton will lose. Bring on ... " View all comments

Rahul Miah on Power or the glory?

"To be honest I think this is going to be a very tense match but the outcome will prove that Amir Khan is no joke. Barrera of course is a good fighter he's knocked out Prince Naseem and ... " View all comments

Staffo Staffo on Moore like it, Jamie!

"100 per cent Jamie can win this! He's been waiting a long time for this, he's hungry, its time! Come on Jamie lad!... " View all comments

World-class not glass

Amir will win, but let's see if Prescott can test his chin

Jim Watt - Jim Watt Posted 4th September 2008 view comments

I've seen a couple of clips of Breidis Prescott and there's no doubt he can punch - and that might not be a bad thing for Amir Khan.

What I want to see in this fight is Amir taking a real good shot on the chin, look straight at the other guy and get back in there straight away.

It sounds harsh and I still think he will win, but we need to know if the lad can take a decent shot before he even thinks about fighting for a world title.

The last thing you want is to be going into a world championship fight not knowing quite how good your chin is. If you box at the top level, you know you are going to get hit - and hit hard. What we don't know with Amir is if he can deal with that.

Yes he has been put down and shaken three times in his career, by Rachid Drilzane, Willie Limond and of course, Michael Gomez, but they were all flash knockdowns. I had a decent chin and went down five times in my career - it can happen to anyone.

It's impossible to see anything other than a Khan win, possibly in the middle of the fight. I just hope he learns things however long the fight is and I wouldn't wouldn't mind one bit if Prescott managed to nail him hard, just so we can see if his chin is good enough to win a world title - because Amir Khan is.

Jim Watt
Quotes of the week

KHAN v PRESCOTT
Live on Sky Box Office & HD
9pm, Saturday, September 6
Channel 743 & 752
Call 08442 410 888 to book
Click here for full details

And all of those Khan knockdowns were when he was caught coming forward. We need to see him take a real bone-shaker, stay up and look the other guy straight in the eye.

We could well get to see that because there is no doubt Prescott can bang. Seventeen knockouts in 19 wins proves that, even if he has been fed one or two along the way and the quality of opposition is not great. But then again, Colombian fighters are survivors and they will have been trying to do just that.

Prescott is a step into the unknown, but that is what Amir needs - and he looks to bethe sort of fighter he needs. He is from a different part of the world, will bring a different style and a different set of problems to the bog-standard Europeans Khan has beaten.

So far he has had everything pretty much his own way. He has been able to pressurise fighters and eventually overwhelm them with his speed and workrate. I have a feeling that Prescott will want to come forward, he will want to get Khan on the back foot - and we need to see how he handles that.

I am sure Frank Warren and Jorge Rubio need to see their man up against it before a world title is even talked about. The next year or so is all about learning, all about ticking the boxes for Khan. Which is why this has to be a bit of a gamble.

Reckless

Prescott, even if he is being put under pressure, will stand back and throw some bombs because he says he has seen a weakness in Khan. Maybe he does get too reckless when he senses the finish is in sight is a little over-keen when he moves in for the kill.

That is how he got caught in the past and that is something he needs to watch out for. It's one thing winning when it's all going your way and you can overwhelm the guy with sheer speed before forcing the stoppage, but what if that doesn't happen? What if he

That is another area I would like to see Amir improve - in his finishing. Yes, he is dazzlingly quick and his sheer volume of punches usually leaves the referee with no choice but to step in, but he can be over-eager. I would like to see him picking his shots off, landing telling blows, not just rushing in and leaving himself open.

But it's good that he has made mistakes. He is still learning and rather he does it now than when a world title is on the line. The habits he gets into now are the one's that will show up when it really matters. Don't forget, he's only been a pro for three years and is still just a kid.

And he is an entertainer as well. That is why 10,000 people will be in the MEN Arena; he is fast and he is exciting to watch. You can't take that aggression away, but he does need to find a balance - and I think we might see that on Saturday night.

I expect him to be a little more circumspect early on, work off the jab before tiring Prescott down and finishing him off in similar style to his previous victims. He will set the pace and given his record I don't expect the Prescott to have been under much pressure in his career, so it will be interesting to see if he can cope, or if he loses heart.

He might do for a couple of rounds but it's impossible to see anything other than a Khan win, possibly in the middle of the fight. I just hope he learns things however long the fight is and I wouldn't wouldn't mind one bit if Prescott managed to nail him hard, just so we can see if his chin is good enough to win a world title - because Amir Khan is.

Johnny Nelson's view

It's not often I think Frank Warren makes a mistake in finding opponents for his fighters. But this time he looks to have taken a risk putting Khan in with Bredis Prescott, a man who will be hungry for success. This is certainly going to be a test for young Amir. Prescott is tall (nearly 6ft) and has an impressive record, one that suggests he can pack a punch. He also comes from a stable that has already produced two world champions, including Ricardo Torres. The key for Amir is to show discipline. We've seen him show heart, show courage, now we need him to show us he's taken the next step in his development as a fighter. So far he's ticked all the boxes, he's been hit and he's been down. He's also been put under pressure. Yet for all that he's always lifted himself after any setbacks and gone on to win fights. He's also shown he has the stamina to go the distance. I expect he might need that stamina again on Saturday night. He will beat Prescott on points or by stoppage in the later rounds.
Read Johnny Nelson on Audley Harrison-George Arias

Glenn McCrory's view

This is a tough old fight for Amir Khan. It might be the sort of no-win situation he has to get used to with all the spotlight and pressure that is on him. But anyone who can carry the hopes of a nation on his shoulders as a kid at the Olympics has bottle and Amir has shown that already. He is not the finished article and no-one should expect him to be, but I do expect him to show more maturity and be less reckless under his new coach. He can try to throw millions of punches and I would like to see him sit down on his punches a little more, box when the other guy wants to fight and fight when he wants to box. But he's still on the learning curve and Prescott is unbeaten, so has to be considered a threat. He can clearly punch, but he is a long way from home, he's going to be on the back foot from the first bell and all I can see him doing is coming out and trying to nail Khan early. Amir might have to survive a couple of early scares, but if he can come through that, stick at him, there's no reason why he can't load up and stop him around the middle of the fight.
Read Glenn McCrory on Alex Arthur-Nicky Cook

back to top

Other Boxing Experts:

Latest Posts in Boxing:

Adam Smith

The next big thing

Adam Smith spends time with Amir Khan, a man destined to follow in Manny Pacquiao's impressive footsteps......

Jim Watt

Right time for Rendall

Jim Watt says everything is in place for Rendall Munroe to keep the buzz about British boxing going....

0 comments

Adam Smith

Coming to America

Adam Smith is back with the gym rats, ex-addicts and of course, world champ Amir Khan at the Wild Card....

0 comments

Latest News RSS feeds

Ward grabs WBA title

Andre Ward beat WBA super-middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler with a unanimous technical decision in California.

Binman sweeps Italian aside

Leicester binman Rendall Munroe retained his European super-bantamweight title with a gruelling points victory over Simone Maludrottu.

Pac Man tops TV figures

Manny Pacquiao's victory over Miguel Cotto was the biggest show of the year, eclipsing Floyd Mayweather's comeback victory.

Arum - Floyd running scared

Manny Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum claims Floyd Mayweather Jr is scared the Filipino would ruin his unbeaten record.

'I'll ruin Rendall's dream'

Simone Maludrottu says he will ruin Rendall Munroe's world-title dream when they meet live on Friday Fight Night.

Features

Floyd on the menu

Floyd on the menu

Adam Smith catches up with Floyd Mayweather and thinks he is itching to fight Manny Pacquiao.

Good week, bad week

Good week, bad week

While Pac Man may have won big in Vegas, others in the world of sport didn't fair so well at the weekend.

The talk of Sky Sports

The talk of Sky Sports

Read what Sky Sports' experts and bloggers have been talking about over the last seven days in sport...