• Amir Khan v Carlos Molina

Khan gets career back on track

ESPN staff
December 15, 2012

Amir Khan returned to winning ways with a comprehensive light-welterweight victory over Carlos Molina in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Khan, returning to the ring for the first time since his shock defeat to Danny Garcia in the summer, occasionally looked troubled in the early rounds against his previously undefeated opponent but quickly took charge - picking Molina apart before the Mexican-American's camp threw in the towel prior to the start of the 11th round.

Khan will now target a rematch with Garcia, believing he has learned from his past mistakes under new trainer Virgil Hunter.

"Virgil is a great trainer," Khan said. "I'm getting better as a fighter and he's making me be patient.

"If I use my speed in the right way there's no one who can touch me in the world. I just get too ballsy for my own good - I start getting wild.

"I know I made mistakes. I'm my biggest critic. I criticised myself after watching the fights with Garcia and [Lamont] Peterson. If I was fighting Garcia today I would have knocked him out - that's the honest truth."

Garcia and Peterson were both watching from ringside at the LA Memorial Sports Arena, and they have started thinking another defeat for the Brit was on the cards when Molina rocked Khan with a flush right in the closing seconds of the second round.

But Khan gathered himself in the break and proceeded to put on an exhibition of clinical boxing - putting Hunter's emphasis on tight defence into operation, even if a few over-ambitious shots escaped as he tried to force an early conclusion to the bout.

By the end of the ninth round Molina was clearly struggling - barely able to see from a swollen left eye. His corner successfully pleaded with the referee to allow him one more round to find something special but, after a tenth round that saw him barely throw a punch, they admitted before the 11th that their race was run.

Khan had got the victory he needed. A return to the top of the light-welterweight division is his next target.

"I'm ready for Danny Garcia," Khan reiterated. "He was lucky, he caught me with a good shot.

"I'm ready to fight him anytime, anywhere, any place."

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