60% Americans say afghan war not worth it: Poll
A record 60 percent of Americans say the war in Afghanistan has not been worth fighting, according to a new poll which coincides with the Obama administration one-year review of its strategy.
Public dissatisfaction with the war, now America's longest, has spiked by 7 points just since July. Given its costs vs. its benefits, only 34 percent in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll say the war's been
worth fighting, down by 9 points to a new low, by a sizable margin.
Negative views of the war for the first time are at the level of those recorded for the war in Iraq, whose unpopularity dragged George W. Bush to historic lows in approval across his second term. On average from 2005 through 2009, 60 percent called that war not worth fighting, the same number who say so, the poll found.
The public's increasingly negative assessment comes after a new strategy, including a surge of U.S. and allied forces, led to the Afghanistan war's bloodiest year. According to icasualties.org, cited by ABC, nearly 500 U.S. soldiers have been killed and 4,481 wounded in 2010, compared with 317 killed and 2,114 wounded in 2009, and 155 killed, 793 wounded in 2008.
While opposition to the war has grown, President Barack Obama himself gets more mixed reviews for handling it. This survey, produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates, finds that 45 percent approve of Obama's work on Afghanistan, matching his low, while 46 percent disapprove, a scant 2 points from the high. Still, that's considerably better than Bush's ratings for handling Iraq in his second term -- on average, 63 percent disapproved of how he did.
Public dissatisfaction with the war, now America's longest, has spiked by 7 points just since July. Given its costs vs. its benefits, only 34 percent in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll say the war's been
worth fighting, down by 9 points to a new low, by a sizable margin.
Negative views of the war for the first time are at the level of those recorded for the war in Iraq, whose unpopularity dragged George W. Bush to historic lows in approval across his second term. On average from 2005 through 2009, 60 percent called that war not worth fighting, the same number who say so, the poll found.
The public's increasingly negative assessment comes after a new strategy, including a surge of U.S. and allied forces, led to the Afghanistan war's bloodiest year. According to icasualties.org, cited by ABC, nearly 500 U.S. soldiers have been killed and 4,481 wounded in 2010, compared with 317 killed and 2,114 wounded in 2009, and 155 killed, 793 wounded in 2008.
While opposition to the war has grown, President Barack Obama himself gets more mixed reviews for handling it. This survey, produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates, finds that 45 percent approve of Obama's work on Afghanistan, matching his low, while 46 percent disapprove, a scant 2 points from the high. Still, that's considerably better than Bush's ratings for handling Iraq in his second term -- on average, 63 percent disapproved of how he did.
No Operation in Waziristan on Dictation: PM Gilani
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan News: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said foreign hand involved in Balochistan. Addressing the National Assembly session on Thursday, Gilani said that no compromise would be made on the national sovereignty and integrity. The prime minister said...
Titles,
Titles
Current WBA World Light-Welterweight Champion
Former Commonwealth Lightweight Champion
Former WBA International Lightweight Champion
Former WBO Inter-Continental Lightweight Champion [2x]
Trainers
Oliver Harrison (July 2005 – April 2008)[47]
Jorge Rubio (July 2008 – September 2008)[48]
Freddie Roach (October 2008 – present)[49]
Record
Amateur
2003 – Won a gold medal at the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
2004 – Won a gold medal at the European Student Championships and the World Junior Championships.
2004 – Won the Strandja Cup to qualify for the Olympics in Athens
2004 – Won an amateur match against Victor Ortíz, who was stopped in the second round.
2004 – Won a silver medal at the Olympics, beating Marios Kaperonis, Dimitar Stilianov, Jong Sub Baik and Serik Yeleuov. He lost to Mario Kindelan in the final.
2005 – Beat Craig Watson on points in the ABA Championships.
2005 – Won the last match of his amateur career beating Mario Kindelan 19–13 at the Reebok Stadium.
Current WBA World Light-Welterweight Champion
Former Commonwealth Lightweight Champion
Former WBA International Lightweight Champion
Former WBO Inter-Continental Lightweight Champion [2x]
Trainers
Oliver Harrison (July 2005 – April 2008)[47]
Jorge Rubio (July 2008 – September 2008)[48]
Freddie Roach (October 2008 – present)[49]
Record
Amateur
2003 – Won a gold medal at the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
2004 – Won a gold medal at the European Student Championships and the World Junior Championships.
2004 – Won the Strandja Cup to qualify for the Olympics in Athens
2004 – Won an amateur match against Victor Ortíz, who was stopped in the second round.
2004 – Won a silver medal at the Olympics, beating Marios Kaperonis, Dimitar Stilianov, Jong Sub Baik and Serik Yeleuov. He lost to Mario Kindelan in the final.
2005 – Beat Craig Watson on points in the ABA Championships.
2005 – Won the last match of his amateur career beating Mario Kindelan 19–13 at the Reebok Stadium.
Outside boxing
Outside boxing
[edit] Charitable and community work
After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Khan assisted in helping raise £1 million for victims of the disaster.[34] After the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, Khan went to Pakistan and handed out food parcels to children in a camp.[35]
In July 2006 Khan became involved in the No Messin' campaign, which promotes child safety around British railways.[36] The same year he performed an Umrah (a pilgrimage to Mecca).[37]
In 2008, he raised more than £6,000 for a firefighter who was badly burned while trying to save a family from an arson attack in Bolton.[38][39] Khan along with a few other famous faces took part in a charity football match at Valley Parade in Bradford, the proceeds of the match went to the family of the murdered police officer Sharon Beshenivsky.
He has spent £1 million of his own money on opening the Gloves Community Centre and boxing gym in Bolton to get youths off the streets.[40][41]
He has shown support for the White Ribbon Campaign, which encourages men to play a role in ending violence against women. (WRC)
[edit] Media
Khan was involved in a TV programme for Channel 4, Amir Khan's Angry Young Men, which consisted of three 50-minute episodes. The programme centred around troubled angry men and aimed to use the disciplines of boxing, coupled with faith and family values, to help re-focus their lives and steer them away from trouble in the future. It was screened in August/September 2007.
He has also been on a show called Proud Parents with his parents.
In April 2008, Khan appeared on TV game show Beat the Star, and in January 2009 he guested on a celebrity version of ITV1's Family Fortunes, pitted against Jennie Bond.
Amir appeared at the MOBO Awards 2009 where he presented the award for Best Video.
Amir has also appeared in Aik Din Geo Ke Saath, a show broadcast by the Pakistani television channel, Geo.
In April 2010, Khan featured as one of the guest stars (alongside comedian Jack Whitehall) in Sky One's sports-themed topical comedy show, A League of Their Own.
Recently, Amir also shot a music video for his entrance song, alongside Mr. Capone-E.
[edit] Motoring offences and incidents
On 23 October 2007, Khan was convicted of careless driving at Bolton Crown Court and given a six-month driving ban and a £1000 fine. The conviction related to an incident that occurred on 2 March 2006 in the centre of Bolton, when Khan's car hit and broke the leg of a pedestrian who was running on a pelican crossing trying to avoid cars. Immediately prior to the accident Khan had swerved around a line of stopped cars and went through a traffic light that had just turned red. He was cleared of dangerous driving[42] and the pedestrian received an interim payment of £40,000.[43] Khan was also summoned to appear in court in Rochdale on 26 October 2007, accused of travelling in excess of 140 mph on the M62 motorway on 31 December 2006. He failed to appear and the case was adjourned to 2 November 2007, with the District Judge warning that he would issue an arrest warrant if the accused did not appear by then. He was also charged with not producing his driving licence and insurance certificate.[44] On 7 January 2008 Khan was fined £1000 and banned for 42 days for the speeding offence.[45]
On 12 July 2009, Khan was once again involved in a motoring incident, this time a collision with a young cyclist. However, no action will be taken against Khan after police concluded that he was not to blame for the incident in Moor Lane following interviews with a number of witnesses.[46]
[edit] Charitable and community work
After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Khan assisted in helping raise £1 million for victims of the disaster.[34] After the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, Khan went to Pakistan and handed out food parcels to children in a camp.[35]
In July 2006 Khan became involved in the No Messin' campaign, which promotes child safety around British railways.[36] The same year he performed an Umrah (a pilgrimage to Mecca).[37]
In 2008, he raised more than £6,000 for a firefighter who was badly burned while trying to save a family from an arson attack in Bolton.[38][39] Khan along with a few other famous faces took part in a charity football match at Valley Parade in Bradford, the proceeds of the match went to the family of the murdered police officer Sharon Beshenivsky.
He has spent £1 million of his own money on opening the Gloves Community Centre and boxing gym in Bolton to get youths off the streets.[40][41]
He has shown support for the White Ribbon Campaign, which encourages men to play a role in ending violence against women. (WRC)
[edit] Media
Khan was involved in a TV programme for Channel 4, Amir Khan's Angry Young Men, which consisted of three 50-minute episodes. The programme centred around troubled angry men and aimed to use the disciplines of boxing, coupled with faith and family values, to help re-focus their lives and steer them away from trouble in the future. It was screened in August/September 2007.
He has also been on a show called Proud Parents with his parents.
In April 2008, Khan appeared on TV game show Beat the Star, and in January 2009 he guested on a celebrity version of ITV1's Family Fortunes, pitted against Jennie Bond.
Amir appeared at the MOBO Awards 2009 where he presented the award for Best Video.
Amir has also appeared in Aik Din Geo Ke Saath, a show broadcast by the Pakistani television channel, Geo.
In April 2010, Khan featured as one of the guest stars (alongside comedian Jack Whitehall) in Sky One's sports-themed topical comedy show, A League of Their Own.
Recently, Amir also shot a music video for his entrance song, alongside Mr. Capone-E.
[edit] Motoring offences and incidents
On 23 October 2007, Khan was convicted of careless driving at Bolton Crown Court and given a six-month driving ban and a £1000 fine. The conviction related to an incident that occurred on 2 March 2006 in the centre of Bolton, when Khan's car hit and broke the leg of a pedestrian who was running on a pelican crossing trying to avoid cars. Immediately prior to the accident Khan had swerved around a line of stopped cars and went through a traffic light that had just turned red. He was cleared of dangerous driving[42] and the pedestrian received an interim payment of £40,000.[43] Khan was also summoned to appear in court in Rochdale on 26 October 2007, accused of travelling in excess of 140 mph on the M62 motorway on 31 December 2006. He failed to appear and the case was adjourned to 2 November 2007, with the District Judge warning that he would issue an arrest warrant if the accused did not appear by then. He was also charged with not producing his driving licence and insurance certificate.[44] On 7 January 2008 Khan was fined £1000 and banned for 42 days for the speeding offence.[45]
On 12 July 2009, Khan was once again involved in a motoring incident, this time a collision with a young cyclist. However, no action will be taken against Khan after police concluded that he was not to blame for the incident in Moor Lane following interviews with a number of witnesses.[46]
Light welterweight (2009–present)
Light welterweight (2009–present)
Khan vs. Kotelnik
On 18 July 2009, Khan moved up to the light welterweight to fight Andreas Kotelnik at the MEN Arena in Manchester for the WBA World light welterweight title. Khan won by a unanimous decision, 120–108, 118–111, 118–111, and became the third-youngest Briton to win a world title, at the age of 22.[21]
Khan vs. Salita
On 6 October 2009, Frank Warren confirmed that Khan would defend his WBA World light welterweight title against undefeated Ukrainian American boxer Dmitry Salita, the mandatory challenger, on 5 December, at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.[22] Due to Khan being a practising Muslim and Salita being an Orthodox Jew, the fight was hyped as a religious clash by the media, referring to it as a "battle of faiths" or "holy war", though Khan and Salita have both denied such claims.[23][24] On 5 December 2009, Khan defeated mandatory challenger Salita in 76 seconds, winning by technical knockout in the first round. Salita was knocked down three times, the first time after just 10 seconds into the fight.[25] It was the first ever loss of Salita's career.[26]
On 17 January 2010, Khan announced he had split with British promoter Frank Warren and signed a deal with Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions, with Khan's fights moving back to ITV.[27]
Khan vs. Malignaggi
Khan (left) and Malignaggi at the press conference on March 17, 2010.On 9 March 2010, Golden Boy Promotions confirmed that WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan and former light welterweight world champion Paulie Malignaggi will hold a press conference in London to announce their world title bout set for 15 May at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. This was Khan's first bout in the United States of America. The fight was for the WBA light welterweight title, which Khan won in the 11th round.[28] Immediately after the fight, Khan stated he wanted to fight Marcos Maidana next, and that he would not be leaving the light welterweight division until he had unified the various belts, suggesting that the way to do this would be for him to fight Maidana, and then go on to face the winner of a Devon Alexander vs. Timothy Bradley match.[29]
Khan vs. Maidana
Main article: Amir Khan vs. Marcos Maidana
Khan successfully defended his title for the third time against WBA Interim Champion and mandatory challenger, Marcos Maidana on 11 December 2010 in Las Vegas.[30] Khan dominated the fight early and knocked down Maidana in the 1st round with multiple body shots, but had to withstand a furious barrage by Maidana in the later rounds to win by a narrow and controversial unanimous decision. There is much speculation about the role referee Joe Cortez may have played in Khan's victory.[31][32][33]
Khan vs. Kotelnik
On 18 July 2009, Khan moved up to the light welterweight to fight Andreas Kotelnik at the MEN Arena in Manchester for the WBA World light welterweight title. Khan won by a unanimous decision, 120–108, 118–111, 118–111, and became the third-youngest Briton to win a world title, at the age of 22.[21]
Khan vs. Salita
On 6 October 2009, Frank Warren confirmed that Khan would defend his WBA World light welterweight title against undefeated Ukrainian American boxer Dmitry Salita, the mandatory challenger, on 5 December, at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.[22] Due to Khan being a practising Muslim and Salita being an Orthodox Jew, the fight was hyped as a religious clash by the media, referring to it as a "battle of faiths" or "holy war", though Khan and Salita have both denied such claims.[23][24] On 5 December 2009, Khan defeated mandatory challenger Salita in 76 seconds, winning by technical knockout in the first round. Salita was knocked down three times, the first time after just 10 seconds into the fight.[25] It was the first ever loss of Salita's career.[26]
On 17 January 2010, Khan announced he had split with British promoter Frank Warren and signed a deal with Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions, with Khan's fights moving back to ITV.[27]
Khan vs. Malignaggi
Khan (left) and Malignaggi at the press conference on March 17, 2010.On 9 March 2010, Golden Boy Promotions confirmed that WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan and former light welterweight world champion Paulie Malignaggi will hold a press conference in London to announce their world title bout set for 15 May at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. This was Khan's first bout in the United States of America. The fight was for the WBA light welterweight title, which Khan won in the 11th round.[28] Immediately after the fight, Khan stated he wanted to fight Marcos Maidana next, and that he would not be leaving the light welterweight division until he had unified the various belts, suggesting that the way to do this would be for him to fight Maidana, and then go on to face the winner of a Devon Alexander vs. Timothy Bradley match.[29]
Khan vs. Maidana
Main article: Amir Khan vs. Marcos Maidana
Khan successfully defended his title for the third time against WBA Interim Champion and mandatory challenger, Marcos Maidana on 11 December 2010 in Las Vegas.[30] Khan dominated the fight early and knocked down Maidana in the 1st round with multiple body shots, but had to withstand a furious barrage by Maidana in the later rounds to win by a narrow and controversial unanimous decision. There is much speculation about the role referee Joe Cortez may have played in Khan's victory.[31][32][33]
Lightweight (2008–2009)
Lightweight (2008–2009)
Khan in 2009.On 2 February 2008, Khan was scheduled to fight Martin Kristjansen, but illness forced the Dane to withdraw and instead Khan beat Australian Gary St Clair in a contest for the Commonwealth lightweight title at the ExCel Arena in London. This was his first fight to last all 12 rounds and was won via a unanimous 120–108 scoring from all three ringside judges.
On 5 April 2008, Khan beat Kristjansen in the seventh round of a WBO world lightweight title eliminator. Before the contest, the fighters had been ranked third and fourth respectively by the WBO. After Khan's victory, he was ranked second, behind only Joel Casamayor.
Following the fight, Khan split from his trainer Oliver Harrison, the trainer for all of his previous 17 professional contests. The breakup was blamed on Harrison's concerns that Khan's public engagements were interfering with his fight preparations.[12] Khan's spokesman told reporters there was "nothing personal" between Khan and Harrison.[13] Dean Powell, who has trained former world champions Duke McKenzie and Lloyd Honeyghan, worked with Khan until a decision on a permanent trainer was made. In the same month, Khan had a training session in Las Vegas with Roger Mayweather, trainer and uncle of Floyd Mayweather, Jr..[12]
Khan fought on 21 June 2008, at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham against Irishman Michael Gomez. Gomez, a super featherweight champion who was reaching the end of his career and had lost the last one of his six fights, was described as a "backward step" in Khan's quest for a world title.[14] Khan stated "I think I'm above this level now" and made it clear that he expected a fast and explosive finish to the fight knocking down Gomez two times in the fight and a great finish. However, after the fight, Khan said he felt he had moved up a level by "fighting a good fighters like Gomez".[15] Khan received criticism for being knocked down in the second round, but proved his resilience by coming back stronger after this. Former boxing champion Barry McGuigan seemed unimpressed after the fight and said Khan needed at least two more fights before he should consider a world title bout he is just too young. Many journalists[who?] echoed McGuigan's opinion of Khan's needs to work on his defence.
A month after the Gomez fight, it was announced that Jorge Rubio would become Khan's new trainer. Rubio was chosen because Khan thought that he had very good chemistry with the Cuban trainer. Khan said, "Rubio was showing me all these new training techniques, and I felt so comfortable because it suited my style. I knew I had the hand speed and the footwork to do it and I knew it was going to make me a much better fighter". Many boxing experts thought that Rubio needed to concentrate on improving Khan's defence and Khan's father agreed that he was showing great defensive skills during his training.
In early August, the lightweight Breidis Prescott was chosen by Rubio as Khan's next opponent. Rubio had trained a fighter who had narrowly lost to Prescott before and thought that Khan would be able to handle the bigger Prescott, who had a prolific knock-out record of 17 KOs in 19 contests. On 6 September 2008, Khan was a huge favourite and was hoping to win a world title by the end of the year. Prescott came out fast in the fight and landed some good shots; Khan was stumbled with a left hook early on before Prescott landed a strong overhand right, flooring his opponent. He managed to get to his feet but following a further four punch barrage, Khan was knocked out and couldn't beat the count. The fight was at the Manchester Evening News Arena on Khans Sky Box Office debut.[16]
Following his defeat to Prescott, Frank Warren sacked Khan's trainer Jorge Rubio and replaced him with Freddie Roach. Khan began training with Roach in the United States, where he sparred with then WBC World lightweight champion and p4p champion Manny Pacquiao, who is also being trained by Roach. On 6 December 2008, Khan recorded a comeback win against Oisin Fagan in a second-round stoppage. With victory, Khan won the vacant WBA International lightweight title. Khan knocked Fagan down twice in the first round and Fagan's corner threw in the towel in the second, after being knocked down again.
[edit] Khan vs. Barrera
In early 2009, it was announced that Khan would fight former seven-time and three-weight world champion Marco Antonio Barrera on 14 March, at the Manchester Evening News Arena.[17] Frank Warren promoted Khan's fight against the veteran Barrera, perhaps Khan's highest-profile opponent to date. Barrera was ranked #1 and Khan #5 in the WBO world lightweight rankings. Previous IBF and WBO world lightweight title holder Nate Campbell was stripped of the belts after moving up to the light welterweight division and Khan's promoter Frank Warren and Barrera's promoter Don King lobbied the WBO to elevate the Khan-Barrera fight to a world lightweight title eliminator.[18] However, the world-title status was instead given to the fight between Juan Manuel Márquez and Juan Diaz, ranked #2 and #3 respectively by the WBO.[19]
On 14 March 2009, at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England, Khan defeated Barrera, by a technical decision. The fight was stopped towards the end of the fifth round due to Barrera suffering a cut in the first round, which resulted from a clash of heads. With Barrera deemed in no position to fight on by the ringside doctor, the fight then went to the scorecards where Khan was ahead on all three (50–44, 50–45, 50–45). With victory, Khan defended his WBA International lightweight title and also won the vacant WBO Inter-Continental lightweight title.
Frank Warren was sufficiently impressed with Khan's performance that he vowed to land a world title fight for him before the end of the year.
"There was a lot on his shoulders, but I always felt he could rise to the big occasion. I'd like to see him get a belt round his waist by the end of this year."[20]
Khan also commented on the fight, saying:
"I felt so completely easy, catching him with jabs. I felt like I was on a better level than him. The jabbing and patience – I felt so strong. You could see the difference. I had to take some shots in that match. I made some mistakes in the past and I'm not going to make them again."[20]
Khan in 2009.On 2 February 2008, Khan was scheduled to fight Martin Kristjansen, but illness forced the Dane to withdraw and instead Khan beat Australian Gary St Clair in a contest for the Commonwealth lightweight title at the ExCel Arena in London. This was his first fight to last all 12 rounds and was won via a unanimous 120–108 scoring from all three ringside judges.
On 5 April 2008, Khan beat Kristjansen in the seventh round of a WBO world lightweight title eliminator. Before the contest, the fighters had been ranked third and fourth respectively by the WBO. After Khan's victory, he was ranked second, behind only Joel Casamayor.
Following the fight, Khan split from his trainer Oliver Harrison, the trainer for all of his previous 17 professional contests. The breakup was blamed on Harrison's concerns that Khan's public engagements were interfering with his fight preparations.[12] Khan's spokesman told reporters there was "nothing personal" between Khan and Harrison.[13] Dean Powell, who has trained former world champions Duke McKenzie and Lloyd Honeyghan, worked with Khan until a decision on a permanent trainer was made. In the same month, Khan had a training session in Las Vegas with Roger Mayweather, trainer and uncle of Floyd Mayweather, Jr..[12]
Khan fought on 21 June 2008, at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham against Irishman Michael Gomez. Gomez, a super featherweight champion who was reaching the end of his career and had lost the last one of his six fights, was described as a "backward step" in Khan's quest for a world title.[14] Khan stated "I think I'm above this level now" and made it clear that he expected a fast and explosive finish to the fight knocking down Gomez two times in the fight and a great finish. However, after the fight, Khan said he felt he had moved up a level by "fighting a good fighters like Gomez".[15] Khan received criticism for being knocked down in the second round, but proved his resilience by coming back stronger after this. Former boxing champion Barry McGuigan seemed unimpressed after the fight and said Khan needed at least two more fights before he should consider a world title bout he is just too young. Many journalists[who?] echoed McGuigan's opinion of Khan's needs to work on his defence.
A month after the Gomez fight, it was announced that Jorge Rubio would become Khan's new trainer. Rubio was chosen because Khan thought that he had very good chemistry with the Cuban trainer. Khan said, "Rubio was showing me all these new training techniques, and I felt so comfortable because it suited my style. I knew I had the hand speed and the footwork to do it and I knew it was going to make me a much better fighter". Many boxing experts thought that Rubio needed to concentrate on improving Khan's defence and Khan's father agreed that he was showing great defensive skills during his training.
In early August, the lightweight Breidis Prescott was chosen by Rubio as Khan's next opponent. Rubio had trained a fighter who had narrowly lost to Prescott before and thought that Khan would be able to handle the bigger Prescott, who had a prolific knock-out record of 17 KOs in 19 contests. On 6 September 2008, Khan was a huge favourite and was hoping to win a world title by the end of the year. Prescott came out fast in the fight and landed some good shots; Khan was stumbled with a left hook early on before Prescott landed a strong overhand right, flooring his opponent. He managed to get to his feet but following a further four punch barrage, Khan was knocked out and couldn't beat the count. The fight was at the Manchester Evening News Arena on Khans Sky Box Office debut.[16]
Following his defeat to Prescott, Frank Warren sacked Khan's trainer Jorge Rubio and replaced him with Freddie Roach. Khan began training with Roach in the United States, where he sparred with then WBC World lightweight champion and p4p champion Manny Pacquiao, who is also being trained by Roach. On 6 December 2008, Khan recorded a comeback win against Oisin Fagan in a second-round stoppage. With victory, Khan won the vacant WBA International lightweight title. Khan knocked Fagan down twice in the first round and Fagan's corner threw in the towel in the second, after being knocked down again.
[edit] Khan vs. Barrera
In early 2009, it was announced that Khan would fight former seven-time and three-weight world champion Marco Antonio Barrera on 14 March, at the Manchester Evening News Arena.[17] Frank Warren promoted Khan's fight against the veteran Barrera, perhaps Khan's highest-profile opponent to date. Barrera was ranked #1 and Khan #5 in the WBO world lightweight rankings. Previous IBF and WBO world lightweight title holder Nate Campbell was stripped of the belts after moving up to the light welterweight division and Khan's promoter Frank Warren and Barrera's promoter Don King lobbied the WBO to elevate the Khan-Barrera fight to a world lightweight title eliminator.[18] However, the world-title status was instead given to the fight between Juan Manuel Márquez and Juan Diaz, ranked #2 and #3 respectively by the WBO.[19]
On 14 March 2009, at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England, Khan defeated Barrera, by a technical decision. The fight was stopped towards the end of the fifth round due to Barrera suffering a cut in the first round, which resulted from a clash of heads. With Barrera deemed in no position to fight on by the ringside doctor, the fight then went to the scorecards where Khan was ahead on all three (50–44, 50–45, 50–45). With victory, Khan defended his WBA International lightweight title and also won the vacant WBO Inter-Continental lightweight title.
Frank Warren was sufficiently impressed with Khan's performance that he vowed to land a world title fight for him before the end of the year.
"There was a lot on his shoulders, but I always felt he could rise to the big occasion. I'd like to see him get a belt round his waist by the end of this year."[20]
Khan also commented on the fight, saying:
"I felt so completely easy, catching him with jabs. I felt like I was on a better level than him. The jabbing and patience – I felt so strong. You could see the difference. I had to take some shots in that match. I made some mistakes in the past and I'm not going to make them again."[20]
Professional career
Professional career
[edit] Lightweight (2005–2007)
Despite declaring after the 2004 Olympics that he would pursue a Gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Khan turned professional in 2005, signing with English boxing promoter, Frank Warren. It is speculated by some that this decision was influenced by a row with the English Amateur Boxing Association over the ticketing allocation for his family and friends at the English ABA Finals. Khan won his professional debut against David Bailey via first round technical knockout, on 16 July 2005, at the Bolton Arena in Bolton.
Khan moved from lightweight to light welterweight for a single fight against French fighter Rachid Drilzane on 9 December 2006, winning a 10 round decision in his 10th fight. Khan inexperience in this fight showed a lot of heart for stepping up at a young age.[11] Drilzane had only lost one fight in his 13 fight career. Khan subsequently returned to the lightweight division for future fights. On 7 April 2007, Khan defeated Steffy Bull via third round technical knockout in Cardiff.
On 14 July 2007, Khan faced Willie Limond for the Commonwealth lightweight title. During the fight Khan was knocked down in the sixth round and appeared to be hurt. but however, after another barrage of right hands, Khan weathered the storm and in the seventh round knocked down Limond. Limond's corner threw in the towel at the end of round eight after khan broke Limond's jaw and nose in round eight to win the commonwealth lightweight title.
On 6 October 2007, Khan faced Scott Lawton in his first defence of the Commonwealth lightweight title. Khan fought a mature and clinical fight, boxing with single hard punches for the majority of the first three rounds. Khan increased the pressure at the end of the third, and secured two knockdowns, TKO victory in the fourth. The referee stepped in when Lawton failed to fight back.
The most significant win of Khan's career up until that time came when he celebrated his 21st birthday by successfully defending his Commonwealth lightweight title against Graham Earl on 8 December 2007. Earl, rated the number one British lightweight and a former world title challenger, was considered Khan's toughest test by some way and a tough fight was expected, especially due to some ill-feeling between the pair in the run-up to the fight and Earl did knock down Katsidis in his last fight but. However, it took Khan just 72 seconds and two knockdown to have the fight referee declare Earl in no fit state to continue. After the fight, Khan claimed that he rated this victory as the best of his career.[citation needed]
[edit] Lightweight (2005–2007)
Despite declaring after the 2004 Olympics that he would pursue a Gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Khan turned professional in 2005, signing with English boxing promoter, Frank Warren. It is speculated by some that this decision was influenced by a row with the English Amateur Boxing Association over the ticketing allocation for his family and friends at the English ABA Finals. Khan won his professional debut against David Bailey via first round technical knockout, on 16 July 2005, at the Bolton Arena in Bolton.
Khan moved from lightweight to light welterweight for a single fight against French fighter Rachid Drilzane on 9 December 2006, winning a 10 round decision in his 10th fight. Khan inexperience in this fight showed a lot of heart for stepping up at a young age.[11] Drilzane had only lost one fight in his 13 fight career. Khan subsequently returned to the lightweight division for future fights. On 7 April 2007, Khan defeated Steffy Bull via third round technical knockout in Cardiff.
On 14 July 2007, Khan faced Willie Limond for the Commonwealth lightweight title. During the fight Khan was knocked down in the sixth round and appeared to be hurt. but however, after another barrage of right hands, Khan weathered the storm and in the seventh round knocked down Limond. Limond's corner threw in the towel at the end of round eight after khan broke Limond's jaw and nose in round eight to win the commonwealth lightweight title.
On 6 October 2007, Khan faced Scott Lawton in his first defence of the Commonwealth lightweight title. Khan fought a mature and clinical fight, boxing with single hard punches for the majority of the first three rounds. Khan increased the pressure at the end of the third, and secured two knockdowns, TKO victory in the fourth. The referee stepped in when Lawton failed to fight back.
The most significant win of Khan's career up until that time came when he celebrated his 21st birthday by successfully defending his Commonwealth lightweight title against Graham Earl on 8 December 2007. Earl, rated the number one British lightweight and a former world title challenger, was considered Khan's toughest test by some way and a tough fight was expected, especially due to some ill-feeling between the pair in the run-up to the fight and Earl did knock down Katsidis in his last fight but. However, it took Khan just 72 seconds and two knockdown to have the fight referee declare Earl in no fit state to continue. After the fight, Khan claimed that he rated this victory as the best of his career.[citation needed]
Amateur career
Amateur career
Khan began to box competitively at the age of 11, with early honours including three English school title, three junior ABA titles, and gold at the 2003 Junior Olympics.[9] In early 2004 he won a gold medal at the European Student Championships in Lithuania, and in South Korea several months later he won world junior lightweight title after fighting five times in seven days. One of his notable early amateur fights was against Victor Ortíz, whom he defeated in a second round stoppage.[10]
Khan qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics by finishing in first place at the 1st AIBA European 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He was Britain's sole representative in boxing at the Athens Games, winning a silver medal at the age of 17 in the lightweight boxing category. He was Britain's youngest Olympic boxer since Colin Jones in 1976. He lost in the final to Mario Kindelan, the Cuban who had also beaten him several months earlier in the pre-Olympic match-ups in Greece. In 2005 he avenged the two losses by beating the 34-year-old Kindelan in his last amateur fight.
Khan began to box competitively at the age of 11, with early honours including three English school title, three junior ABA titles, and gold at the 2003 Junior Olympics.[9] In early 2004 he won a gold medal at the European Student Championships in Lithuania, and in South Korea several months later he won world junior lightweight title after fighting five times in seven days. One of his notable early amateur fights was against Victor Ortíz, whom he defeated in a second round stoppage.[10]
Khan qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics by finishing in first place at the 1st AIBA European 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He was Britain's sole representative in boxing at the Athens Games, winning a silver medal at the age of 17 in the lightweight boxing category. He was Britain's youngest Olympic boxer since Colin Jones in 1976. He lost in the final to Mario Kindelan, the Cuban who had also beaten him several months earlier in the pre-Olympic match-ups in Greece. In 2005 he avenged the two losses by beating the 34-year-old Kindelan in his last amateur fight.
Personal Life
Khan, a British Pakistani, was born and raised in Bolton, England. His family originate from Matore,Kahuta in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.[4]
As well as speaking English, Khan also speaks Urdu and Pothohari/Punjabi. He was educated at Smithills School in Bolton,[5] and Bolton Community College. Khan has two sisters and one brother, Haroon Khan, who is an amateur boxer.[6] His first cousin is the English cricketer Sajid Mahmood. As well as boxing, Khan enjoys playing sports such as football, basketball and cricket.[7] He is an avid supporter of his local football club, Bolton Wanderers, and uses the club's training facilities.
Khan is a practicing Muslim.[8]
As well as speaking English, Khan also speaks Urdu and Pothohari/Punjabi. He was educated at Smithills School in Bolton,[5] and Bolton Community College. Khan has two sisters and one brother, Haroon Khan, who is an amateur boxer.[6] His first cousin is the English cricketer Sajid Mahmood. As well as boxing, Khan enjoys playing sports such as football, basketball and cricket.[7] He is an avid supporter of his local football club, Bolton Wanderers, and uses the club's training facilities.
Khan is a practicing Muslim.[8]
Amir Khan
Amir Khan
Statistics
Real name Amir Iqbal Khan
Nickname(s) King Khan
The Pride Of Bolton
Lightning Khan
Rated at 139.5 lb (63.3 kg; 9.96 st)
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Nationality English
Birth date 8 December 1986 (1986-12-08) (age 24)
Birth place Bolton, Greater Manchester, England
Stance Regular
Boxing record
Total fights 25
Wins 24
Wins by KO 17
Losses 1
Draws 0
No contests 0
Olympic medal record
Men's boxing
Silver 2004 Athens Lightweight
Amir Iqbal Khan (Urdu: امیر اقبال خان) (born 8 December 1986 in Bolton, Greater Manchester[1]) is a British boxer of Pakistani origin, and currently the WBA World light welterweight champion. Khan won the belt at the age of 22, making him Britain's third-youngest world champion after Naseem Hamed and Herbie Hide.
He was previously in the lightweight division, where he held the Commonwealth, WBO Inter-Continental and WBA International titles. He also became the youngest British Olympic boxing medallist when he won silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics at the age of 17. He is commonly known by the nickname "King Khan".[2][3]
Contents [hide]
1 Personal life
2 Amateur career
3 Professional career
3.1 Lightweight (2005–2007)
3.2 Lightweight (2008–2009)
3.2.1 Khan vs. Barrera
3.3 Light welterweight (2009–present)
3.3.1 Khan vs. Kotelnik
3.3.2 Khan vs. Salita
3.3.3 Khan vs. Malignaggi
3.3.4 Khan vs. Maidana
4 Outside boxing
4.1 Charitable and community work
4.2 Media
4.3 Motoring offences and incidents
5 Titles
6 Trainers
7 Record
7.1 Amateur
8 Professional boxing record
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
[edit] Personal life
Khan, a British Pakistani, was born and raised in Bolton, England. His family originate from Matore,Kahuta in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.[4]
As well as speaking English, Khan also speaks Urdu and Pothohari/Punjabi. He was educated at Smithills School in Bolton,[5] and Bolton Community College. Khan has two sisters and one brother, Haroon Khan, who is an amateur boxer.[6] His first cousin is the English cricketer Sajid Mahmood. As well as boxing, Khan enjoys playing sports such as football, basketball and cricket.[7] He is an avid supporter of his local football club, Bolton Wanderers, and uses the club's training facilities.
Khan is a practicing Muslim.[8]
Statistics
Real name Amir Iqbal Khan
Nickname(s) King Khan
The Pride Of Bolton
Lightning Khan
Rated at 139.5 lb (63.3 kg; 9.96 st)
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Nationality English
Birth date 8 December 1986 (1986-12-08) (age 24)
Birth place Bolton, Greater Manchester, England
Stance Regular
Boxing record
Total fights 25
Wins 24
Wins by KO 17
Losses 1
Draws 0
No contests 0
Olympic medal record
Men's boxing
Silver 2004 Athens Lightweight
Amir Iqbal Khan (Urdu: امیر اقبال خان) (born 8 December 1986 in Bolton, Greater Manchester[1]) is a British boxer of Pakistani origin, and currently the WBA World light welterweight champion. Khan won the belt at the age of 22, making him Britain's third-youngest world champion after Naseem Hamed and Herbie Hide.
He was previously in the lightweight division, where he held the Commonwealth, WBO Inter-Continental and WBA International titles. He also became the youngest British Olympic boxing medallist when he won silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics at the age of 17. He is commonly known by the nickname "King Khan".[2][3]
Contents [hide]
1 Personal life
2 Amateur career
3 Professional career
3.1 Lightweight (2005–2007)
3.2 Lightweight (2008–2009)
3.2.1 Khan vs. Barrera
3.3 Light welterweight (2009–present)
3.3.1 Khan vs. Kotelnik
3.3.2 Khan vs. Salita
3.3.3 Khan vs. Malignaggi
3.3.4 Khan vs. Maidana
4 Outside boxing
4.1 Charitable and community work
4.2 Media
4.3 Motoring offences and incidents
5 Titles
6 Trainers
7 Record
7.1 Amateur
8 Professional boxing record
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
[edit] Personal life
Khan, a British Pakistani, was born and raised in Bolton, England. His family originate from Matore,Kahuta in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.[4]
As well as speaking English, Khan also speaks Urdu and Pothohari/Punjabi. He was educated at Smithills School in Bolton,[5] and Bolton Community College. Khan has two sisters and one brother, Haroon Khan, who is an amateur boxer.[6] His first cousin is the English cricketer Sajid Mahmood. As well as boxing, Khan enjoys playing sports such as football, basketball and cricket.[7] He is an avid supporter of his local football club, Bolton Wanderers, and uses the club's training facilities.
Khan is a practicing Muslim.[8]
On WikiLeaks, India, Pakistan and a partisan media
Reading through some of the WikiLeaks cables, I have been struck by how easy it might be to take the fragmentary and often outdated information contained in them and make a case to support either side of the India-Pakistan divide. Now it turns out someone did, but without even the support of the underlying cables, according to this version of Pakistani media reports by the Pakistan blog Cafe Pyala of alleged Indian skulduggery, including in Baluchistan.
As Cafe Pyala notes, Pakistan’s The News and various other papers cited the alleged cables as proof of alleged Indian involvement in creating trouble in Baluchistan and Waziristan. These allegations were included amongst others that anyone who follows the subject closely hears being bandied about between India and Pakistan. (Reporting on those allegations is much harder, for reasons I will discuss below.)
But according to Cafe Pyala these cables may not even exist, but are rather the work of intelligence agencies telling the media what is to be found in them. ”Small wonder The News and Jang give the source of the report as ‘Agencies’,” it says. “Question: How stupid do the ‘Agencies’ really think Pakistanis are?”
This is terribly confusing, as it is hard enough to make sense of the WikiLeaks cables on India and Pakistan, without having to filter out what intelligence agencies/media say about what may or may not be in that huge database of leaked U.S. embassy reports.
As it is, we have to keep in mind the idea that the cables are only as accurate (we assume) as the ambassadors who penned them were able to make them, given that they themselves were dependent on sources who might, or might not, have been telling the truth. They are not gospel (and odd that in Pakistan which tends to distrust everything the Americans say, they are being treated as such.)
So two points – one on Baluchistan, and the other on the media in India and Pakistan.
For background, Islamabad accuses India of using its presence in Afghanistan to destabilise Pakistan, particularly by funding and arming separatists in Baluchistan. India denies this, and says it is interested only in promoting development in Afghanistan. The Indian consulates in Kandahar and Jalalabad particularly trouble Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, which sees them as bases for alleged nefarious activity by its rival, India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) spy agency.
As far as I can make out, there is nothing in the WikiLeaks cables on Baluchistan that I haven’t already heard. And if I have heard them, you can be sure that governments have heard them too and tailored their policies accordingly, so we shouldn’t treat them as a game-changer.
On Baluchistan:
A U.S. embassy cable sent shortly after the 2008 Mumbai attack says the British High Commission in Islamabad feared an Indian response might include, ”at a minimum, increase GOI (government of India) covert activities in Balochistan or even an aerial bombardment of LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) camps in Azad, Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). ”
The Guardian newspaper, which was given advance access to the cables, adds that “The British fears of ‘ramped-up’ Indian aid to militant nationalists in Balochistan highlights an assertion found elsewhere in the cables: that British intelligence strongly believes New Delhi is covertly supporting the insurgency in reaction to alleged Pakistani support for LeT.”
I have not yet found any cables which give an independent U.S. view of the allegations of Indian involvement in Baluchistan. If someone has the links, do please post them.
A separate series of cables, reported by The Guardian with links to copies of the cables, highlights tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan over the fate of fugitive Baluch separatist leader Bramdagh Bugti, whose grandfather was killed in a military operation in Baluchistan in 2006. If you search for Bugti on The Guardian website you can find more of the back-story on this.
I personally thought this was common knowledge, but maybe it is more controversial, and complicated, than I realised.
On the media:
I don’t know what is happening in Baluchistan. I listen to British, Indian and Pakistani analysts and sources to try to form an informed view. Short of going there, hanging around outside/inside the Indian consulates in Kandahar and Jalalabad, and spending time with Baluch separatists, I can’t possibly know for sure. But I’m still a bit troubled that the media is not asking enough questions - in either country.
A quick trawl of recent stories on Google threw up this story from the Times Now TV channel (I’m using this as a convenient example to explain a point, but it is not untypical):
“Government sources on Saturday (November 27) denied former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s claims that India is responsible for creating unrest in the Balochistan region. Sources told TIMES NOW that India’s conduct on Balochistan was like an open book … ”
Whatever is going on in Baluchistan, it is not “an open book”. You can’t have an open book in a region where journalists can’t travel easily and safely.
And you don’t have ”an open book” when it comes to India and Pakistan. When I first started researching the Siachen war - another battle between India and Pakistan that took place away from the public eye – I had the (with hindsight naive) idea that at the very least I would be able to match Indian and Pakistani versions and where I found them to overlap, discern a kernel of truth. In the end, I discovered I often could not even match accounts by people who fought on the same side on the same day. So let’s none of us assume we know what is happening in remote Baluchistan.
As Cafe Pyala notes, Pakistan’s The News and various other papers cited the alleged cables as proof of alleged Indian involvement in creating trouble in Baluchistan and Waziristan. These allegations were included amongst others that anyone who follows the subject closely hears being bandied about between India and Pakistan. (Reporting on those allegations is much harder, for reasons I will discuss below.)
But according to Cafe Pyala these cables may not even exist, but are rather the work of intelligence agencies telling the media what is to be found in them. ”Small wonder The News and Jang give the source of the report as ‘Agencies’,” it says. “Question: How stupid do the ‘Agencies’ really think Pakistanis are?”
This is terribly confusing, as it is hard enough to make sense of the WikiLeaks cables on India and Pakistan, without having to filter out what intelligence agencies/media say about what may or may not be in that huge database of leaked U.S. embassy reports.
As it is, we have to keep in mind the idea that the cables are only as accurate (we assume) as the ambassadors who penned them were able to make them, given that they themselves were dependent on sources who might, or might not, have been telling the truth. They are not gospel (and odd that in Pakistan which tends to distrust everything the Americans say, they are being treated as such.)
So two points – one on Baluchistan, and the other on the media in India and Pakistan.
For background, Islamabad accuses India of using its presence in Afghanistan to destabilise Pakistan, particularly by funding and arming separatists in Baluchistan. India denies this, and says it is interested only in promoting development in Afghanistan. The Indian consulates in Kandahar and Jalalabad particularly trouble Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, which sees them as bases for alleged nefarious activity by its rival, India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) spy agency.
As far as I can make out, there is nothing in the WikiLeaks cables on Baluchistan that I haven’t already heard. And if I have heard them, you can be sure that governments have heard them too and tailored their policies accordingly, so we shouldn’t treat them as a game-changer.
On Baluchistan:
A U.S. embassy cable sent shortly after the 2008 Mumbai attack says the British High Commission in Islamabad feared an Indian response might include, ”at a minimum, increase GOI (government of India) covert activities in Balochistan or even an aerial bombardment of LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) camps in Azad, Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). ”
The Guardian newspaper, which was given advance access to the cables, adds that “The British fears of ‘ramped-up’ Indian aid to militant nationalists in Balochistan highlights an assertion found elsewhere in the cables: that British intelligence strongly believes New Delhi is covertly supporting the insurgency in reaction to alleged Pakistani support for LeT.”
I have not yet found any cables which give an independent U.S. view of the allegations of Indian involvement in Baluchistan. If someone has the links, do please post them.
A separate series of cables, reported by The Guardian with links to copies of the cables, highlights tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan over the fate of fugitive Baluch separatist leader Bramdagh Bugti, whose grandfather was killed in a military operation in Baluchistan in 2006. If you search for Bugti on The Guardian website you can find more of the back-story on this.
I personally thought this was common knowledge, but maybe it is more controversial, and complicated, than I realised.
On the media:
I don’t know what is happening in Baluchistan. I listen to British, Indian and Pakistani analysts and sources to try to form an informed view. Short of going there, hanging around outside/inside the Indian consulates in Kandahar and Jalalabad, and spending time with Baluch separatists, I can’t possibly know for sure. But I’m still a bit troubled that the media is not asking enough questions - in either country.
A quick trawl of recent stories on Google threw up this story from the Times Now TV channel (I’m using this as a convenient example to explain a point, but it is not untypical):
“Government sources on Saturday (November 27) denied former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s claims that India is responsible for creating unrest in the Balochistan region. Sources told TIMES NOW that India’s conduct on Balochistan was like an open book … ”
Whatever is going on in Baluchistan, it is not “an open book”. You can’t have an open book in a region where journalists can’t travel easily and safely.
And you don’t have ”an open book” when it comes to India and Pakistan. When I first started researching the Siachen war - another battle between India and Pakistan that took place away from the public eye – I had the (with hindsight naive) idea that at the very least I would be able to match Indian and Pakistani versions and where I found them to overlap, discern a kernel of truth. In the end, I discovered I often could not even match accounts by people who fought on the same side on the same day. So let’s none of us assume we know what is happening in remote Baluchistan.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)