Khan Vs Barrera - Has Frank Warren Gone Crazy?

There is no question that Frank Warren is Britain's leading promoter, a position he has held for several years now. One of the things I've always liked about Warren, even if it's frustrated me at times, is that he won't let media pressure force him to rush his fighters. After all, how many times did he pack Ricky Hatton's army of fans into the MEN Arena in Manchester against an experienced veteran when it seemed the whole boxing world was calling for a step up in class for 'The Hitman'.

To say the latest contest announced by Frank Warren shocked me is an understatement. 19-1 (15 KO's) Amir Khan will take on Mexican boxing legend and former world champion, Marco Antonio Barrera, a man boasting a proud 64-6 (43 KO's) record and the famous conqueror of British star Prince Naseem Hamed.

After Khan was knocked out inside a minute against Breidis Prescott, I expected Warren to bring his hot prospect back against a slew of decent, light punching opponents to restore Khan's confidence and set him up for a title tilt somewhere down the line. The opposite has happened and although I'd never knock Warren's judgment as he is one of the shrewdest men in the fight game, I am wondering if he's lost his marbles!

This fight could either light the touch paper on Khan's career or see his career ended in a single night. A second knockout defeat in three fights really would leave Khan very hard to market - the Prescott defeat can be referred to as a 'blip' or being 'caught cold' but the knowledgeable boxing public won't accept that excuse twice.

The question is, how much has Barrera got left? Undoubtedly, the Mexican is past his best at aged 35. In addition, he has only fought three times in the past two years, losing two of those contests (both by decision over 12 rounds). But, look who the two losses were against - Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. No disgrace in losing to those guys as they actually figure in most people's top 10 pound for pound lists. Another factor is size; Barrera is simply not a fully blown lightweight whereas Khan is a genuine, tall, rangy lightweight.

So, has Frank Warren made a mistake in choosing Barrera for Khan? Maybe so, only time will tell. But if Khan wins this contest in style then Warren will be proved the master of well timed matches again, just as he was when he finally let Ricky Hatton off the leash to take on the inactive Kostya Tszyu. The bout is set for 14th March 2009 at Manchester's MEN Arena and I can't wait. I really am unsure what's going to happen in this bout but one thing is for sure - I absolutely cannot wait to watch it.

Luke W Calvert writes for the exciting new Boxing website, no win no fee accident claim href="boxingcapital.com">boxingcapital.com the only Boxing website to offer Boxing Equipment Reviews, Training Articles, Travel Information on the big fights in Las Vegas and Betting Tips in addition to all the usual news, fight reports and interviews.

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