Too much, too young BOXING: COMMONWEALTH LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE BOXING:

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, Jun 22, 2008 | by Steve Bunce

THE fabulous career of Amir Khan is now turning into something from the first Rocky movie.

Last night, in front of 10,000 people at the NIA in Birmingham, Khan was sent crashing to the canvas in round two of his fight against Michael Gomez.

In round one, Gomez was dropped heavily and looked on the edge of being saved by the referee.

The fight continued like this in rounds three and four but in round five, Gomez suddenly started to look like a beaten and exhausted fighter. It was finally stopped after two minutes 32 seconds of the round after Gomez had sunk to his knees from a sickening body shot.

Both men looked close to collapse as they embraced their corner men and various doctors who climbed into the ring to inspect both of them.

It was a tremendous fi ght to watch but it was tremendous for all the wrong reasons. Khan should not, under any circumstances, have fights like this against opponents like Gomez.

Gomez was selected for his colourful history, his bravery and the fact that nobody gave him a realistic chance.

Sadly, for Khan and the men and women who have turned the likeable kid from Bolton into a mini industry, Gomez came so close to ending the circus.

There were a few moments when Gomez's head was not being rocked back and forward by Khan's punches but they were few. The only time Khan was not throwing punches, and landing punches, was when a tidy short left hook dropped him in round two.

From the opening seconds Gomez's face slowly started to distort under the ferocity of the Khan assault but he is both a brave and reckless fighter and he simply refused to turn away.

"This was Michael's greatest fight and his biggest chance and I expected him to come at me, " admitted Khan who was also quick to acknowledge the knock down and the many times he was hurt.

At the end Gomez was in a dreadful, bloody state and it was his turn to speak the truth when he managed to say: "Khan is simply too big and too fast - there was nothing I could do."

Now the real work begins in the boxing business because a route from last night's slugfest to a world title has to be found.

The journey, which will inevitably cast Khan into deeper waters than last night's little fistic paddle, will be extremely difficult.

Khan and his long-term promoter Frank Warren and his long-term television company ITV have all fallen out of contract. There is less acrimony than generally exists when fighters fall out of love - or contract -with the men paying them money but there are still some serious problems to overcome.

Khan is one of world boxing's top attractions but his apparent vulnerability to punches when under pressure is alarming.

If the plan for Khan and his team involved a simple series of high-profile meetings in the slipstream of an easy victory last night then the plan will need to change.

Warren, meanwhile, knows exactly what to say and when to say it and his involvement in the coming months will be crucial. According to Warren, Khan will fight again on September 6 and it will definitely not be for a world title.

"He is only 21 and people are putting tremendous pressure on him to have a world title fight and that is simply not fair, " said Warren. The veteran promoter is right but most of the pressure is being applied by the boxer himself and hopefully last night's fi ght will serve as a warning that caution is necessary for the coming months.

If last night's fight had been in Las Vegas involving two Americans or two Mexicans people in the boxing game would be talking about a classic, an out and out war.

It was not meant to be a Rocky in the midlands and the truth is that Khan should not be involved in fights like that against fighters like Gomez.