I want to inspire young Asians, says Amir

London: BOXER Amir Khan hopes he can inspire more young Asians to be the best in sport.

The World Champion is ambassador for the British Asian Sports Awards, set up to recognise and honour British Asian sporting talent.

The awards were held in London on Saturday and winners included Formula One racer Adam Khan, Yorkshire and England cricketer Adil Rashid, Queens Park Rangers Vice-Chairman Amit Bhatia and England women’s cricketer Isa Guha.

Expert judges included former England cricketer Mark Ramprakash and Olympic Gold medallist, Denise Lewis.

Speaking at the event Amir said: “Role models drive young talent to excel in their sport so I feel that this awards show is important in recognising the role models of the future. Being an ambassador is a great honour for me because I’m able to give something back to the community and inspire more Asians to be the best in their sport.”

AIBA awarded membership to Gambia

Africa:Gambia

The International Boxing Association has extended its recognition to the newly elected executive committee of the Gambia Amatuer Boxing Association, headed by Yusupha Jaiteh.

In a letter signed by the President of the International Boxing Association Ching-Kuo Wu, the world's boxing President, on behalf of the entire ALBA family, congratulates Yusupha Jaiteh and his committee on their recent election.

"I am confident that those elections took place in full compliance with the association's constitution, and that all officers were duly and respectfully elected," he said.

Ching-Kuo Wu expressed gratitude that The Gambia has a new leader to further enhance boxing programmes in the country.

Reacting to this development, the Gambia Amateur Boxing Association has promised to work towards achieving positive changes in Gambian Boxing this year and years to come.

Viloria requires additional tests

FORMER International Boxing Federation light flyweight champion Brian Viloria, who collapsed in his dressing room and was hospitalized for apparent exhaustion after he was knocked out in his title defense against Colombia’s Carlos Tamara last Saturday, will have to remain at the Makati Medical Center for at least two more days for additional testing.

Although all the tests conducted on Viloria were clear, including a CT scan, Viloria won’t be cleared by doctors to return home to the United States for at least 10 days, and he will need additional tests to ensure there is no brain swelling, according to his manager, Gary Gittelsohn.

Viloria, whose fight with Tamara was stopped by referee Bruce McTavish at the 1:45 mark of the 12th round at the Astrodome, collapsed in his dressing room and was taken to the San Juan De Dios Hospital on Roxas Blvd. He was later transferred to the MCC.

A report carried by Philboxing.com said Viloria’s attending physician, Regina Makalintal, said all tests conducted on the Fil-Am boxer were clear and there was basically nothing to worry about.

Viloria was talking and wide awake, according to the report.

Gittelsohn said Viloria would undergo follow-up tests as a precautionary measure and will remain in the hospital for another day.

Viloria seemed to be on the way to victory until he withered in the 9th round and fell prey to Tamara’s constant attack.

Viloria collapses inside locker room after bout with Tamara

MANILA–Light flyweight champion Brian Viloria collapsed inside his locker room minutes after Colombian pugilist Carlos Tamara seized the 108-pound category of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) light flyweight belt from the Filipino boxer Saturday.

Tamara won over Viloria via a 12-round technical knockout, leaving the former IBF champion in seemingly serious condition after the match.

The bout, viewed only by a few, was held at the nearly empty Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Viloria, a Filipino who spent his growing up years in Hawaii, and known as the “Hawaiian Punch”, was leading during the first few rounds until he started losing wind on the 7th round.

Tamara reportedly took that chance and fought his way through the remaining rounds. By rounds 9 to 10, Viloria was reportedly receiving grueling punishment from Tamara.

Bruce McTavish, the referee, halted the fight close to two minutes into the 12th and final round. Tamara won by technical knockout.

Information reaching Dateline Philippines said Viloria regained consciousness after his sudden collapse in the locker room and was immediately rushed to the San Juan de Dios hospital. He is now under observation.

The fight with Tamara was Viloria’s third defense of his IBF title; the second was against Mexican Ulisses Solis in 2009 where the Filipino pugilist won by knockout on the 11th round.

Viloria’s career as a boxer boasts of 16-3 win-lose ratio with 15 KOs to his credit.

Middleweight Boxer Pablo Fails Drug Test

The Spanish boxer Pablo Navascues has lost his chance of fighting Sebastian Sylvester for the International Boxing Federation’s middleweight title after failing a doping test during training. Sauerland Event said on its Web site that Navascues tested positive for banned substances during a random test this month. Sauerland did not disclose what Navascues tested positive for.

Can Amir Khan become a huge PPV star like Mayweather and Pacquiao?

Trainer Freddie Roach and Golden Boy Promotion are hoping to make a huge star out of WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KO’s) in the future along the lines of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Is it possible for Khan to accomplish this task in the near or distant future? Pacquiao toiled away for 14 years in the pro ranks before he recently became a huge mega star in the past year after beating Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto in three consecutive fights.

And Mayweather Jr. fought for 11 years as a pro before he finally became a huge mega star with a win over De La Hoya in 2007. Khan has fought for only five years in the pro ranks and was drilled into the canvas by Breidis Prescott in one round in 2008. Khan has picked up the World Boxing Association light welterweight title with a 12 round decision win over Andriy Kotelnik in July 2009, but looked fragile in the process, moving continuously against a non puncher.

For Khan to become a mega star, he will have to beat some of the best fighters in boxing. That’s how it’s done. This is obviously why Roach is so eager to match Khan against Ricky Hatton, who some boxing fans feel is a totally shot fighter. It would give Khan a boost up in the minds of fans and make a name for him, even if it’s against a fighter that some people see as shot. However, Khan will need more than fights against Hatton, which may not ever happen, and Paulie Malignaggi. Khan needs to take on and beat the best fighters in the division like Timothy Bradley, Devon Alexander, Kendall Holt and Marcos Maidana.

A lot of fans see Khan as a fighter that has faced hand-picked opponents during his five year pro career, carefully matched to avoid dangerous punchers. It’s hard to argue against that belief in looking at who Khan as faced in the past two years since being destroyed by Prescott in 2008. Since that time, Khan has fought Oisin Fagan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Kotelnik and Dmitriy Salita.

The fight against Barrera would have been good if Barrera wasn’t an old 35, and still relevant. Barrera had looked poor in moving up in weight form super featherweight to lightweight and looked small and slow at lightweight. However, a win is a win, but the fight was hardly an impressive one because Barrera was cut early in the 2nd round because of a head butt.

With blood streaming into his eyes, Barrera was barely able to see. Somehow the fight was allowed to continue just long enough for it to go to the cards in the 5th round and Khan subsequently won by a 5th round technical decision. The decision to move up in weight to fight Kotelnik, who some saw as a paper champion, didn’t help Khan’s case.

If Khans wants to be a PPV star in the United States, he’s going to have to take the tougher fights and not be positioned against fading stars or weak punchers. There are rumors that Khan might not fight interim WBA light welterweight champion Marcos Maidana next and will instead fight Paulie Malignaggi. I think this would be a mistake.

I don’t see a fight against Malignaggi doing anything for Khan. I do think it will cause knowledgeable boxing fans to see Khan as a cherry picker because they think he’s trying to avoid big punchers since his knockout loss to Prescott. By choosing to fight Malignaggi rather than Maidana, this could strengthen the belief that some boxing fans have about Khan being a ducker.

I don’t see Khan becoming a mega star the easy way by taking on fading fighters or ones with zero power to hurt him. Khan is going to have to beat the best fighters in the division and do this for a number of years before he becomes a huge pay per view star in the United States. I have my doubts that Khan can accomplish this with his weak chin. His offense is fine, but he seems top fragile to hold up under the wear and tear of facing the likes of Maidana, Victor Ortiz, Bradley, Holt and Alexander.

British Pakistani Boxer Amir Khan signs with Golden Boy Promotions

GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS ENTERS INTO ALLIANCE WITH
KHAN PROMOTIONS TO PROMOTE WORLD CHAMPION AMIR KHAN

THE BRITISH STAR LOOKS TO SHINE IN THE UNITED STATES
WITH GOLDEN BOY IN 2010

In continuing with its goal to expand boxing on a global level, Golden Boy Promotions is extremely pleased to announce that a strategic alliance with Khan Promotions has been entered into to promote one of boxing’s hottest young World Champions, British superstar Amir Khan.

Khan Promotions has teamed with Golden Boy to promote Khan with the goal of expanding his presence globally, particularly in the United States, and looks to continue his reign as World Champion in the biggest and best fights.

“I am really happy Khan Promotions is partnering with Golden Boy as I know that together they will be the right team to help me continue my career as an elite fighter and to expand my fan base to the United States and around the world,” said Amir Khan. “I’m ready to fight anyone, anywhere, anytime and know that Golden Boy will help me accomplish these goals.”

“Amir Khan is one of the most talented fighters in the world at any weight,” said Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. “That talent, combined with his charismatic and out-going personality, makes him a promoter’s dream and I feel will one day lead him to being the face of boxing. We are extremely excited to team with Khan Promotions and look forward to introducing Amir to fight fans in the United States and around the world.”

“Working along side Khan Promotions, we are going to do everything in our power to get the biggest and best fights for Amir,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Amir is already a star in the United Kingdom and now, we are going to help him shine in the United States and across the world.”

Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KO’s) who hails from Bolton, Lancashire, United Kingdom is one of the brightest stars ever to emerge from the United Kingdom. He had an extremely accomplished amateur career highlighted by a trip to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens (as the sole member of the British boxing team) and brought home the Silver Medal at just 17 years of age. In five short years as a professional, Khan has proven himself to be more than just a charming Brit, his smile comes backed with lightning fast speed and a devastating punch. His notable victories include a first round knockout win over Graham Earl in 2007, a unanimous decision victory against Gary St. Clair in February of 2008 and a fifth round technical knockout of Michael Gomez in June of 2008. In March of 2009, he took a huge step up in competition and scored the biggest win of his career in defeating former World Champion and future Hall of Famer Marco Antonio Barrera by technical decision in dominant fashion. His climb to the top continued on July 18, 2009 when he won his first world title by defeating Andreas Kotelnik via a lopsided unanimous decision for the WBA Super Lightweight World title. Just five months later on December 5, he made his first title defense by handing then-undefeated Dmitriy Salita, his first loss via a crushing first round knockout.

An opponent, date and location for Khan’s next fight will be announced shortly.

Sikhs in Britain fight ban on bearded boxers

LONDON: Sikh groups in Britain have threatened "costly" legal action over an order banning bearded amateur boxers from the
Twitter Facebook Share
Email Print Save Comment
ring.

Muslims expressed outrage after the Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE) barred 25-year-old bearded boxer Mohammed Patel from the ring last January on health and safety grounds.

At the time the ABAE ruling exempted Sikhs from the ban, further infuriating Muslims, but the body has now ruled that all amateur boxers must be clean-shaven, prompting Sikhs to join in the protest.

"It is unbelievably insensitive and grossly insulting. It is also offensive to our Muslim brothers who wear beards for religious reasons," said Indarjit Singh, director of the Network of Sikh Organisations.

"We request that the ABAE rescind their new ruling. Failure to do so will result in legal action which, as well as being costly, will do untold damage to the public image of the ABAE and boxing in general."

"It's such a petty go at the beard. It's a sport and it has some risks but the hair does not really in any way increase those risks," he added.

The International Boxing Association says referees need to see facial injuries during a fight, that beards can cause further abrasion and that doctors find it easier to treat facial injuries on clean-shaven men.

The ban is also being challenged by Muslims group in the town of Bolton in northwest England, where banned boxer Mohammed Patel comes from.

"Mohammed was actually very upset," said Inayat Omarji of the Bolton Council of Mosques told the BBC.

"It has raised the awareness of different people who have different religious commitments, cultural commitments. And in this day and age, they have to accept and work with the different communities."

An ABAE spokesman said the ruling has come from its international governing body, the International Amateur Boxing Association.

"It has nothing to do with race, only health and safety. Cuts aren't allowed in amateur, Olympic-style, boxing. We are completely different to the professional circuit."

"It's not unusual for a boxer to be told to shave right up until weigh-in time," he added.