Yesterday I read the following two articles on Bleacher Report; “Amir Khan takes the blame for the loss of Danny Garcia, could he part ways with Freddie Roach” and “Are Amir Khan and Freddie Roach about to part?”, And I started thinking about the best possible coaches for Amir Khan. Today I know Khan will not leave Roach, as I read in today’s Bleacher Report, “Amir Khan stays with Freddie Roach, no one is fired for the Garcia fight”, however I thought this would be a fun analysis.

Now I don’t think Freddy Roach is the one Messiah many in the media have put him through, but he is a great coach who studied with the immortal Eddie Futch, and has shown that he can help a fighter. resurrect his career (pun intended). It would probably be a mistake to leave the coach who helped him on his first comeback after the loss to Breidis Prescott, so regrouping with Roach doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.

However, despite the glass jaw, Khan is a great talent, and it would be interesting to see what he would look like after working with some of the best coaches in boxing. I’m not trying to imply that any of these coaches are better than Roach. I’m simply looking at the flaws in Khan’s style, along with what he can do better, and I’m discussing how the elements these trainers bring to the table can help Khan improve as a fighter.

Floyd Mayweather Sr.
Floyd Mayweather Sr. is the architect of the Floyd Mayweather Jr. style, and let’s be honest; We still don’t really know what kind of chin Floyd Jr. has. Given the situation, anything that can be added to Khan’s defense is an advantage. In addition to being able to move very quickly with your feet, you could move your head, and more importantly, think about bending your chin down rather than moving straight in with your chin exposed. Tactics like these would significantly reduce the chance of a knockout loss.

Roger mayweather
In the Yahoo Sports post “Roger Mayweather Gives Amir Khan Some Advice – Fan Reaction,” Roger had some positive words for Khan, offering tips to help him come back from a knockout. This made me think of Roger in Khan’s coaching position.
Roger would help Kahn the same way his brother would, but the difference is that Roger is better than Floyd Sr. on offense. This means that in addition to having more defensive tools, Khan would likely have less of a problem holding down opponents at the end of his shots.

Pedro diaz
The interesting thing about Pedro Diaz is that he has helped bring back Miguel Cotto, a fighter who had been brutally beaten during a full fight twice (by Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito). People talk about how Khan will never come back, but the knockouts he suffered were quick (especially compared to what Cotto endured).

Diaz is very smart and good at preparing fighters for the rigors of the fight. He’s also very good in the corner, which helps in grueling fights where the support a fighter receives between rounds can make the difference between giving up and victory. Diaz used to be the coach of the renowned Cuban national team, so Khan would definitely be as technically competent as possible for each fight. Khan would also calm down on footwork, as he gets in the habit of moving excessively (especially later in fights).

Diaz is a scientist when it comes to conditioning, so with Diaz, Khan may be in such a shape that he can better handle the power of the opposition. Ultimately, the greatest possible contribution from Díaz would be on the corner. If Khan is ever in trouble, he will have all the support between rounds a fighter can hope for.

James “Buddy” McGirt
As a pro, James “Buddy” McGirt was not known for being incredibly fast, strong, or a great puncher. He was known to be a skilled fighter with solid fundamentals. As a coach, he seamlessly brought those skills to other professionals and quickly developed into a hot coach. His work with Arturo Gatti was brilliant, as it led Gatti from a career low to a junior welterweight title that he defended twice before losing it to Floyd Jr.

McGirt is as knowledgeable about boxing as almost anyone else, and Khan would enjoy the convenience of having all of that close at hand. Many of his flaws and habits would be erased after a few fights. His jab would be more effective, he would control distance better, he would use more head movement, and his footwork would be more efficient. Add these enhancements to your natural athleticism and you are a recipe for a successful comeback.

Roberto garcia
What strikes me about Robert García is his versatility. He was a very skilled fighter as a professional, and he seems to have imparted it very well to his fighters. His most notable fighters of late are Nonito Donaire, Brandon Rios and Kelly Pavlik, for whom Garcia is now managing another comeback. These are three different types of fighters, but it seems like he’s getting on well with all of them.

The most notable of his fighters is Donaire, who is especially skilled and mobile. Since Khan is most like Donaire in style, Donaire would be his point of reference. I can see Garcia helping cultivate Kahn’s attack to be more efficient, making him sit on his punches, as he throws shorter shots. I can also see Khan using his lateral movement to get better angles for throwing punches, and not just escaping. If Khan can learn to shake his head like Donaire, we could soon forget what happened against Garcia.

Butler emanuel
So far, I’ve talked about the ways that past coaches can help Khan and make him a better fighter. While I have the utmost respect for Emanuel Steward, I don’t think it is to Khan’s advantage to have Steward in his corner.

It’s true that Steward engineered Wladimir Klitschko’s comeback by teaching him how to keep people off his chin. However, that’s easy for Klitschko to do, given that he generally has a huge height advantage over his opponents. While Khan is tall for the weight divisions he has competed in, that might not work out so easily.

Steward is very good with the basics and places a great emphasis on power and aggression. That said, Steward’s biggest successes have been the fighters who have tremendous power (Tommy Hearns, Lennox Lewis, and Klitschko). With fighters who have respectable power, he hasn’t added much to his game (as was the case with Jermain Taylor and, more recently, Miguel Cotto and Chad Dawson). While training with Steward may help Khan produce more knockouts, I could also see him ditching the defense. This may make it more fun to watch, but we will likely see it more knocked out as well.

Some of you may not agree with me, so I would love to hear your thoughts. Leave your comments and I’ll get back to you.

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