• Boxing

Amir Khan is Manny Pacquiao's clone - Roach

ESPN staff
July 25, 2011
Amir Khan is 'not in Floyd Mayweather's league' according to Saturday's opponent, Zab Judah © Getty Images
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Amir Khan has been paid what could be deemed as the ultimate compliment by coach Freddie Roach, who put the Briton in the same bracket as Manny Pacquiao.

Khan was at his explosive and destructive best as he stopped Zab Judah in the fifth round of his light-welterweight title fight on Saturday. A shuddering body shot did the damage, and it was preceded by over 14 minutes of dominance from the Bolton fighter.

Now Khan is aiming to reach the very pinnacle of the sport. All signs point to one more fight, in December or January, before he attempts to become the first man to beat Floyd Mayweather Jnr.

Khan's sparring partner Pacquiao has long been linked with a Mayweather showdown, in what would widely be regarded as a shootout for the unofficial pound-for-pound crown. Now Khan wants a piece of that action, and Roach believes both his men have the ability to trouble Mayweather.

"You could call him a bit of a clone [of Pacquiao]," the world renowned coach said in the Sun. "Amir tries to imitate Manny at times - when I see him tap his gloves the way Manny does, I have to smile a little. They have a lot of similarities.

"Manny is not a bad role model to have! They compare very well. Great speed from both of them and a hell of a lot of power at 140lbs. We have been working on that body shot for quite some time.

"Amir must have knocked the wind out of me 100 times in training. He does have the power and now it is a beautiful shot that he has. He set Zab up with a left and then dug that shot in."

There is a warning on the horizon for Khan though, and it comes from the man he just beat. Judah has now been in the ring with both Mayweather and Khan, and he says the Brit is not on the same planet as the American.

"Amir's quick but not a powerful puncher," Judah said. "Amir fought a good fight but he's definitely not in Floyd Mayweather or Miguel Cotto's league. Khan tried to throw a lot of punches but I didn't get hit much. My defence was working pretty well."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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