Amir Khan: Talks a s*** game

Khan hopes to become as big in the US as he is in the UK – if not more so, for that is where the real big bucks lie. But we don’t think he quite has what it takes to become the star he wants to be. Respected, yes, box office smash, no.

Khan lacks what the truly great British fighters like ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed, Nigel ‘The Dark Destroyer’ Benn and Chris Eubank had. Namely, presence, charisma and personality. He has tried to show he has all three, but his problem is that you can see he’s trying. For the other three, it came naturally. It was who they were. They all put on a show for the boxing audience, not least Eubank, but it never looked forced. Putting on a show is what they did.

It is not what Khan does. The Bolton-born boxer is just that, a boxer, and a very, very good one at that. Instead of trying to prove he’s a star he should let his fists do the talking and remain quiet. All the so-called bad blood between him and Malignaggi in the build up to last night’s fight was proved to be no more than an attempt to sell more tickets as far as we’re concerned. They embraced after the fight and spoke in glowing terms about one another.

It could be argued that being the quiet man of boxing doesn’t get you to the top of the tree, to the big purses, to global stardom. Many will point to Welshman Joe Calzaghe as a case in point. He spent 10 years as world super-middleweight champion and remained undefeated in 46 professional fights before he retired in February 2009 but he never gained the publicity his predecessors Benn and Eubank did.

Nevertheless, one of Britain’s greatest ever boxers is rightly recognised throughout the boxing fraternity as one of the very best in his division – ever. He won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2007, no mean feat for a man the British public at large wouldn’t have heard of through most of his reign as world champion. Calzaghe went about his his job quietly and professionally and earned the respect of everyone who knew him, including his 46 defeated opponents. In the end, the money and fame came his way, but late on – and perhaps that is the best way anyway.

Kahn, at just 23, is no doubt struggling with the success he has enjoyed and wants more. But he’d do well to look at the likes of Calzaghe and see what he can achieve in the sport rather than in the media or he risks wasting the obvious talent he has. It is to be hoped that he has someone with a sensible head on his shoulders to help keep his feet on the ground. His trainer Freddie Roach certainly isn’t it.

Perhaps moving from Frank Warren to Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy promotions – again with cracking the States in mind – is a good one. There can be few better mentors in boxing than the great De La Hoya. Time will tell. In the meantime, we’ll try to enjoy Khan’s in-ring work, rather than his frankly pathetic media work.

What do you think? Is Khan at risk of ruining his career in his attempts to look and sound the part or can he pull it all off? Let us know in the comments.

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Boxing: Amir Khan versus Dmitriy Salita

England’s new Golden Boy of boxing and WBA light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan makes his first defence against Salita on Saturday night, live on Sky Box Office (8pm).

Unbeaten in 31 fights, Ukranian-born Jew Salita will prove a tough test for Khan, who won his title last year in Manchester by beating Andreas Kotelnik. Khan will need to be at his best against the man who fights out of New York. The fight is top of a strong bill that also features Breidis Prescott, the only man to beat Khan so far, against Kevin Mitchell for the number one contender spot.

We’re taking Khan to defend his title…but Salita has a strong chance to upset the odds.

Rating: Love boxing, love this. Patriotic, love this. Just LOVE THIS.

Rugby Union: Saracens versus Sale Sharks

Live on Sky Sports One from 5.30pm on Saturday, Sale Sharks look to end the undefeated start to the season that Saracens have enjoyed. Saracens, on the other hand, want to make it 9 wins out of 10 games.

Sale’s backline boasts England stars Mark Cueto and Mathew Tait but performances this season have been below par. Saracens boast internationals of their own and with that talent on the pitch we’re betting it’s going to be a great game. But we’re also betting that Saracens continue the season undefeated in a tight win.

Rating: Must see Saturday afternoon egg chasing.

Golf: Chevron World Challenge

Tiger Woods is supposed to host this event, which benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation.But for the second year running he is absent, this time due to his ‘car crash’. But we’ll leave the much raking to other sites more suited. We’ll focus instead on the golf, and although this isn’t being televised anywhere we can find, we’ll be keeping an eye on the leaderboard for one reason and one reason only; to see how European Number One Lee Westwood performs.

He is currently three shots off leaders Ian Poulter and Zach Johnson, with Irishman Padraig Harrington just a shot behind them. If Westwood is to convince us that he has what it takes for a Major, this would be a good place to start following his brilliant performance in Dubai at the end of November.

Rating: One for Westwood fans. Plenty of other golf on for those who aren’t.

NFL: Arizona Cardinals versus MinnesotaVikings

We’re watching Vikings quarterback Brett Favre very closely this season. And if my beloved Miami Dolphins aren’t going to make the Superbowl (and they definitely aren’t!) then veteran and much-admired Favre might as well.

The Vikings are on a winning run, having won seven of the last eight for a season and a win at Arizona would virtually secure the division. Favre himself is having an MVP season. So can Arizona put a dent in that? Well, they have they’re own veteran QB in Kurt Warner but he is a doubt. If he misses out, they don’t have much to match the Vikings. The season records are 10-1 for Minnesota, 7-4 for the Cardinals.

And Favre’s stats should have the opposition quaking too:

248 completed passes from 358 attempts, 2874 yards thrown for 24 touchdowns.  Though Warner’s are not that far behind in fairness. It’ll be some match up if both play, and if not, you can enjoy the master at his craft. Watch it live online here at 8pm EST / 5pm PT / 3pm GMT.

Rating: Potential classic. Definite master at work. Don’t miss it.

Sporting Fare - Serving up the world of sport...with a twist!

This weekend sees gentle giant and World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev taking on the cocky, brash David Haye in a much anticipated title fight. The build up to this one has gone on for what seems like months and has been punctuated with tasteless name calling from the challenger, Haye.

The Russian, who has been treated like a freak all his boxing career and has ‘earned’ a variety of nicknames from the “Russian Giant” through the “Russian Bear” to today’s “Beast from the East”, has been ridiculed by Haye to such an extent that even in England, Haye’s home country, he must surely be losing support.

“Ugly” and “smelly” are just two such names thrown at Valuev and it is to his credit that the 36 year old hasn’t risen to the jibes. He just shrugs them off saying, “I’ve heard the same things all my life.”

Opinion is divided on who is the underdog in this fight. Valuev’s sheer size is counterbalanced by his awkward style, while Haye’s comparative lack of height and reach is made up for by his superior in-ring skills. Valuev is quietly confident while Haye is shouting his utter belief in victory from the rooftops.

It will be an interesting fight but thanks to Haye’s attitude towards Valuev Sporting Fare is firmly in the corner of the Beast from the East. This is one time we want to see Goliath triumph over David.

Sporting Fare - Serving up the world of sport...with a twist!