Amir Khan benefitting from Virgil Hunter’s wisdom for Devon Alexander test

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/dec/10/amir-khan-virgil-hunter-devon-alexander-las-vegas

Version 0 of 1.

Virgil Hunter vividly remembers the first time he saw Amir Khan. The boy from Bolton was just that, a 17-year-old upstart who caused major ripples at the Athens Olympics by producing a brilliant push for a silver medal which kick-started his professional career.

Hunter was there with his protege and eventual gold medallist Andre Ward, the superb, unbeaten WBA super middleweight champion who has not fought for over a year due to an ongoing dispute with Goossen Promotions.

No matter, the American will come back as strong as ever according to the man who helped put him on the road to stardom as a nine-year-old. Hunter’s eyes light up whenever Ward’s name is mentioned.

Yet fast forward 10 years and the 61-year-old’s focus here in Las Vegas as Khan’s trainer is to elevate him from good to great, to put the 28-year-old in a position, first by beating Devon Alexander on Saturday night, where he will not only take on Floyd Mayweather but beat him and ensure that the prospect first seen in Greece develops as a blueprint for the future generation of British fighters.

It sounds like quite a task. Hunter, though, believes. “I remember Amir in Athens when he was 17 years old,” he said. “When I found out how old he was I was impressed but what I was more impressed about was that he was behind in fights and came roaring back. He took it up a couple of notches to win and that tells you something.

“ I thought he was exceptional for his age. That can be a dangerous thing when you have a kid that young and that good. What should I do with him? Keep him as an amateur or turn him pro and put him in against men?

“Can Amir be a blueprint for future generations? I think he can because by being Pakistani and the culture and a race which is not really involved in sports that much, it’s a country which has gone through a lot. Furthermore, he has the support of fans from the UK. They get behind him.

“We hope we are arriving at a time where it’s a case of move over Floyd, Amir is here. That is the goal. He is getting close to that point but he has to keep practising and really want it. If he exhibits those traits then why not? He has the physical ability for sure and if he continues to tie in his mental capacity why not?”

Those who will think back to Khan’s previous false dawns – the crushing, avoidable defeat to Danny García, the clinical decking at the hands of Breidis Prescott six years ago and the controversial loss to Lamont Peterson – would beg to differ with the trainer who has been by his side since 2012.

Furthermore, a penchant for keeping his head too still when attacking and not being able to take shots on a chin which has resembled glass continue to cause consternation in many as his moment of destiny approaches.

Yet Hunter counters with the reassurance of a highly experienced man who knows talent when it crosses his path. “The people who have beaten him before have all involved a stroke of luck. That is not downing them but García was being beaten heavily and just took a lucky shot. The Peterson fight had its own controversies while against Prescott he was young. A boy versus a man. I still can’t understand why he was put in that position.

“He has been reckless at times because he has been having his way. But at the gym it should have been said to him, ‘You are vulnerable, you are leaving your head open.’ His position wasn’t correct.”

So now with two years’ work under their collective belts, Khan will face Alexander at the MGM Grand on Saturday knowing the world – and Mayweather – will be watching with keen interest.

Everything is pointing to that career defining tussle with the biggest draw in boxing. Khan is two fights from greatness. Does a sportsman need any more motivation than that?

“There are two more fights in him at another level – the first one will be this Saturday night,” said Hunter. “He has been through a transition after he’s had a few setbacks, what is still in him will come out against Devon Alexander and take him to the next level.

“When I first met Amir he was saying that he didn’t do anything in between fights. That’s your job. It’s in the off-season where you get your swag. Michael Jordan didn’t just learn to slam dunk.

“This is the first time he will be allowed to have an identity and he has to be ready to take it to another level.

“At the moment, Amir is at the ‘on the way to greatness’ level. The second part of that you leave the elite behind and go to great. Elite is a pack of guys who are good but the greats are something else.

“Does he have to go war? The highest paid fighter in the world, the no1 draw doesn’t go to war. People really appreciate when you win with a skill they know. Anyone can rock ‘em , sock ‘em and entertain the fans.

“I believe in Amir. There is a saying: ‘the end of a thing is better than a beginning.” If that rings true, Khan’s career is set for the most tantalising of denouements.