In the first of a two-part special, tennis fan Adam Smith reports back from Amir Khan's training camp...
Khan's Hollywood dream is taking shape
It's been another crazy few days in our boxing world! Having seen David Haye pull out of his World Heavyweight title showdown with Wladimir Klitschko, I then got the call that Andreas Kotelnik was out of his June 27th World Light-Welterweight title clash with Amir Khan due to a tooth infection. That was followed by the news that Floyd Mayweather had pulled out of his summer meeting with Juan Manuel Marquez.
A triple blow and all of this news was a great shame; it has been rather shambolic for everybody involved. It looks like we might have come through it though. Sky features the fascinating new match between Wladimir Klitschko and Ruslan Chagaev from Gelsenkirchen on Saturday night.
Mayweather-Marquez will be re-scheduled, but maybe not until the autumn. I've heard Floyd's rib injury is so bad that he is having difficulty even sitting down. Meanwhile Miguel Cotto scraped past Joshua Clottey, and with Manny Pacquiao at ringside, that Pacquiao-Cotto match could be made for November. So by the end of 2009, the two 'semi-final's would probably see a final of Mayweather-Pacquiao sometime next year (unless of course Shane Mosley gets in on the act).
As for Khan, he has to deal with the frustrations of a delay - but it is only a 3 week one. Khan-Kotelnik now happens on July 18th, and the new Manchester venue of the MEN Arena, will give him more home support.
Boxing apart, another passion of mine is tennis - where the players also have to deal with many ups and downs through their quick careers. It's a one-on-one sport which, like boxing, pits duels between fabulous competitors - who combine a mixture of skills, timing and wits.
Roger Federer is one of my sporting heroes. I have long admired the Swiss star, since I saw him playing Junior Wimbledon some 11 years ago. In those days, Federer had to control his temperament, but he conquered his demons, and has long been 'Mr. Cool' on court.
Federer's breathtaking and exciting blend of speed, fluidity, power, and effortless shot-making - plus his ability to take risks on court - have turned him into surely the greatest player of all time.
Written off over the last year, Federer has bounced back in superb style to win that elusive French Open for the first time, whilst equalling Pete Sampras's 14 slam record. He will definitely add to that list.
Federer's not just extraordinarily talented, he's also charming, modest and personable; all of which make him the perfect sportsman.
Roger Federer is a pure winner - single-minded and ambitious. As nice a guy as he is off the court, he has an inner steel and self-belief that is immensely strong.
Meanwhile Andy Murray's hugely dedicated, and extremely able. Murray's really flying, but is still to convince the public about his personality. The champion at Queen's is hot property for Wimbledon, but don't count out the brilliance, tenacity, and fighting spirit of Roger Federer.
Amir Khan's a young boxer who possesses many similar qualities, and, like Federer, has long dreamt of ruling the world.
Amir's a shining example to young kids out there - that if you fight hard, and have a tremendous work ethic - natural born talent can come through.
Dreams
At 22, Khan stands on the verge of being crowned a World Champion, which almost every fighter aspires to be.
Hollywood's the place to head when you have dreams of fame and fortune. The LA hot-spot's buzzing at the moment with a host of glamorous film premieres, and star spotters are everywhere.
Yet, the vast array of strange street characters (some of which Freddie Roach has literally saved from shacks) are proof that the cruel reality of Tinseltown sees most dreams shattered and broken.
Nor is this any sort of holiday camp for fighters chasing their own glory nights. There is no guarantee of any success in Hollywood, and it can be a tough and dangerous quarter of Los Angeles.
Contrary to strange press releases, Amir Khan has been over in Hollywood in a bid to do everything possible to realise his fighting dreams. He is most certainly on no theatrical path towards future stardom as a big-time movie actor.
It's all part of a peculiar press and public response to one of our most talented, disciplined and hard-grafting young sportsmen. Amir Khan has amazed me over these last 9 months. The crushing and humiliating defeat to Breidis Prescott could have destroyed him both mentally and physically.
Suddenly there was savage criticism from many, and some, unbelievably, even chose to laugh at Khan.
Personally I think to mock a fighter when he's down, is nothing short of disgraceful from folk who have never been brave enough to even lace on a pair of gloves.
We have seen some similar harsh reaction following Ricky Hatton's devastating defeat. These proud men hurt, they feel humiliated, and I detest the mentality of kicking people when they're down.
Mature
Opinions in boxing of course vary, and ultimately it is part of a fighter's game to deal with whatever pitfalls he faces.
Amir Khan decided to walk over to our interview position seconds after the Prescott disaster and face the music. Then he addressed the media pack. That takes sheer guts and courage.
The following day, he was back in his Bolton gym. Amir had to grow up fast, and we have watched him mature from a boy to a man.
Taking control of the dire situation, Khan decided to hire the brilliant Freddie Roach and re-locate a long way from his friends - to the other side of the world. His new home was a hard sweatshop full of fiery young fighters, and Khan began to do everything he possibly could to right the wrongs, and re-build as a boxer.
Over the last 9 months, Khan's confidence and composure have grown considerably. The victories over Oisin Fagan, and the old great Marco Antonio Barrera were major boosts, but I think his increased self-belief has largely come from his work at the Wildcard.
Handling himself well in gruelling sparring sessions with Manny Pacquiao was obviously hugely beneficial; moreover Khan's seen what his super stablemate has achieved - while he's been in the camp.
There are other top fighters around Khan, and of course the world's hottest trainer in Freddie Roach. Khan has been back in La-La land for the last 6 weeks, preparing for his date with destiny - now on July 18th - against the clever, seasoned and quality WBA light-welterweight champion Andreas Kotelnik.
Relentless
This has been Khan's most ferocious camp yet. Rising before dawn, his daily morning grind has varied from intense, explosive ballistic routines to swimming strengthening exercises, to a mixture of energy-sapping runs: be it the savage steps up the cliffs of Santa Monica, or fast sprints around the athletic tracks at UCLA.
The conditioning programme's been relentless. Expert Alex Ariza has worked wonders with both Manny and Amir. Khan's body has been transformed - he now has less bulk around his shoulders, his weight's distributed more evenly, and his legs have thickened.
Khan has been eating well(his dad Shah cooks a mean breakfast!) and resting up too. He trains, relaxes, sleeps and eats. 24:7.
His power looks to be improving on the pads, and it may help that this fight is up at light-welterweight. Freddie and Amir are working on pivotal movement, and expect to win the battle with Kotelnik - not only through speed, but by angles and boxing at the correct pace - moving sensibly in and out with hard shots. Amir Khan is focused and firing. In fact he's been glowing in the Californian sun.
Team Khan flew back last weekend in anticipation of the June 27th date. Amir was peaking, so there will be a week of tapering down in England, until Amir returns with Freddie Roach to Hollywood for the 'second' build-up'.
To find out about Khan's sparring, and what his stablemates think of his speed and chin - read the second part of this 'Khan special' next week, as we continue to look forward to the big one - when he tackles Andreas Kotelnik for the WBA Light-Welterweight title on July 18th.
