Ladies and Gentleman, entering the building, from Bolton, Amir Khan.” The words are a Pavlovian trigger to the 6,000 capacity King’s Hall crowd.
Suddenly people are up on their feet, clambering on chairs, straining necks and eyes to catch a first glimpse of the boxing boy prodigy, Amir Khan.
Following the capture of a sensational Silver at the 2004, Athens Olympics, and having turned professional, Khan has gone on to compile a blemish free career record of Fights 6, Wins 6, K.O.’s 5. He’s the man of the moment.
Khan is still only 19 years old. However, his opponent in Belfast, the 30 year old, former European Title contender Laszlo ‘The Rock’ Komjathi had been tipped to provide him with his sternest test to date. Now, the moment of truth has arrived.
He clambers into the ring, buoyed by the rowdy support of the travelling Bolton contingent, and the presence of celebrity supporters including Mike Skinner, Freddie Flintoff and Chris Eubank..
Resplendent in sparkling silver shorts, specially adorned with a Shamrock, and shimmering Reebok gloves, Khan opens the first round with a flurry of neat, incisive jabs. The pace and precision of his movement causing his opponent considerable difficulties, he lands a confident left-hook. Komjathi rallies at the close with some good body shots.
Into the second and Khan escalates the relentless offensive: he punches quick and clean, cruelly exploiting his height and reach advantage over Komjathi. Towards the end of the round, Khan throws a barrage of punches, gambling, trying to take the durable Komjathi out, his remarkable hand speed threatening to overwhelm the Hungarian veteran. Not so easy. Komjathi replies with a neat right-hand counter from inside.
Perhaps it is youthful exuberance, perhaps he is too desperate to please the baying Belfast crowd, but by the third there is a discernible lapse in concentration on the part of the Bolton man. He is recklessly aggressive, neglecting his defence and yet landing nothing more than ineffectual punches on Komjathi’s arms and gloves. Nevertheless, for sheer volume of punches and for the superiority of his combinations, Khan takes the round.
The fourth heralds an unwanted first for the Great British Hope.
Having already been clipped by two solid straight hits, Khan, trapped in his corner and chin jutting, drops his gloves and taunts Komjathi to take another shot at his unprotected chin. It’s an invitation Komjathi takes up, punishing the youngster, catching him flush with a pulverising right-hand. Sensing his opponents vulnerability and armed with the desire and technique to make Khan pay for his laxness, the Hungarian fighter pushes forward, at one point even managing to bundle the Bolton boy through the ropes and onto a photographer. Needless showboating doesn’t win you points, even if it impresses the crowd, and it means that Khan can only share the round – indeed some observers would have given it to the Hungarian.
Into the final two rounds, and uncharted territory for Khan, who has never had to fight beyond round four since joining the paid ranks last year.
By now, however, he has learnt his lesson. Realising that the streetwise Komjathi won’t be overcome by the sheer blur of leather, Khan takes a more measured, assured approach. Though he cannot nail his opponent with a big punch, his strength and stamina hold firm and he comfortably withstands some crisp counterpunching.
As the clock counts down through the final seconds of the sixth round, Khan seeks that elusive grandstand finish. He nearly succeeds too, landing a powerful left hook, but it is still not enough to stop Komjathi. At the end of an erratic, at times frustrating performance, it is nonetheless a decisive victory, with referee Micky Vann giving Khan the edge, by a commanding margin of 60 to 55.
And, for once, the quality of his opponent cannot be questioned. A good fighter, Komjathi is a notable step-up from those that have gone before – and tonight, Khan has shown that he can take a punch. “I learnt as much in that fight as I have during the last four,” Khan says afterwards, and that’s easy to believe.
His vanquished foe meanwhile keeps it simple. “I have just been beaten by a future world champion,” he says. And he’s probably right. The fourth-round showboating may have been a cause for concern to promoter Frank Warren and trainer Oliver “make him pay for that” Harrison, but if Amir Khan keeps it steady, and plays it smart in the ring, he’ll be fighting for the world title soon enough.
Watching Khan going the six round distance, being made to think, and to dig deep before coming out confidently on top, I remembered Don King’s succinct phrase: “Super Sensational”. Sums the boy up, that...