Khan's alternative American debut?
With recent speculation on Amir Khan's immediate future – split into two options with a mandatory WBA title defence against Argentina’s hard hitting Marcos Rene Maidana, or a glitzy PPV debut in the US market against Juan Manual Marquez, it would appear that the Brit from Bolton has the world at his feet following that impressive first round win over Salita, having now signed with Golden Boy Promotions.
There is however, a potential wildcard bout. And one which could possibly prove more exciting and more fruitful than a bout with Marquez, should Khan decide to vacate the WBA 140lbs title and move forward with a lucrative American debut. The opponent in question is a former world lightweight champion. He is currently unbeaten in 44 bouts. He is notoriously reputed to have given “Pretty Boy” Floyd himself trouble in sparring.
His name is Paul Spadafora.
Whilst Spadafora may be relatively unknown on British shores, he has quite an impressive resume. He defended the IBF lightweight title eight times between 1999 and 2003, after winning the belt in a wide decision against Israel Cardona. He also boasts wins over Angel Manfredy and former Khan victim Oisin Fagan, who always comes to fight. He drew with the talented Leonard Dorin, the only blemish on his record thus far. Currently fighting at welterweight, I wouldn’t imagine that it would be out of the question for Spadafora to make a return to 140lbs, especially considering he started his career at 135lbs, just as Khan did.
Most importantly, Spadafora still possesses the ‘O’ in his record. Anyone who remains an unbeaten former world champion in 15 years as professional cannot be entirely lacking. Both men are a similar size, with Khan benefitting only by one inch in height and two inches in reach. Certainly a more level playing field that the physical dimensions offered by Marquez. And for promotional purposes there is always the interesting “Golden Guy vs Bad Guy” drama to play out. Much like Britain’s own heralded Jason Booth, Spadafora has had problems with alcohol in the past, culminating in his much publicised shooting of his girlfriend at a gas station in 2004.
Since his prison stint, Spadafora has gone around 5-0 against mostly journeyman opposition and may now be ready to step up. He certainly could not be classed as a potential fall guy. At 34, he does not have time to waste if he is serious about stepping into the limelight again. Another point of interest in this wildcard clash would be a pitching of wills, tactics and strategies from the trainers of the two men. Spadafora is currently trained by none other than Pernell Whittaker, and with Khan currently being trained by Freddie Roach; a meeting between these two fighters would be potentially explosive with regards to corner action come fight night.
Can “Sweetpea” outwit Roach through Spadafora? Will Roach’s recipe for success with Khan reap dividends against a southpaw like Spadafora, more known for his boxing abilities than knockout power? (Spadafora has a knockout ratio of around 39%, which can only further increase his attraction to Team Khan in the wake of Marquez’s 66%.) It is unlikely that Khan or Golden Boy will entertain a clash against Spadafora. Unfortunately the tattooed “Pittsburgh Kid” has probably remained just a little too low on the radar in order to warrant such a lucrative showing.
However the case for Spadafora proves that Khan has other options out there with which to attempt to strengthen his legacy with fighters of a similar cast. I can’t help but feel that, with all respect to Marquez’s fine achievements, if he fought Khan we would all witness a similar fight to that of his recent loss to Mayweather. Against Mayweather, Marquez acknowledged that the weight (his first time fighting above 135lbs) was a problem for him. Khan is bigger and quicker and I feel that a calm UD win against “Dinimita” would be no more regarded than the win against Barrerra.
In short, Khan must focus his attention on the players in his new weight class, rather than looking for smaller legendary Mexicans to boost his PPV potential. Side-stepping the dangerous lightweight division was a sound business move, in the light of Khan's recent sterling performances against Kotelnik and Salita, and especially when if offered a shot at the WBA title. Sidestepping the already established fighters at 140lbs so soon to clinch a catchweight battle with Marquez will only add to the ire of Khan's critics and will not lend weight to his legacy.
