Khan Stops Barrera on Cut
Saturday March 14, 2009
What should have been a fascinating crossroads fight between Marco Antonio Barrera and Amir Khan was instead cut short due to an unintentional clash of heads. In the very first round, Barrera and Khan launched punches simultaneously and their heads collided. Barrera emerged with a deep gash along the hairline above his left eye. From that point forward, Barrera struggled with the steady stream of blood that impaired his vision. Had the bout been stopped at any point during the first four rounds, it would have been ruled a no decision. Instead, the fight - in Manchester, England where Khan is a big star - was allowed to go another round before being stopped so it went to the scorecards. Khan, who was the faster and sharper fighter, was pitching a shutout at the time of the stoppage (50-44 and 50-45 twice) so he was ruled the winner by technical decision.
Khan may get a shot at a lightweight title belt later this year. Barrera may elect to fight again but this was likely the future Hall of Famer's last time headlining a big pay-per-view event.
Comments
England protects its fighters and manipulates the outcome.Khan is likely to be another Calzaghe avoiding great fighters in their prime or challenging them on his own turf.