Amir Khan Set to Fight Maidana in December

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

It has been over four months since boxing’s Amir Khan knocked out Paulie Malignaggi in New York’s Madison Square Garden in his American debut. That win gave Khan the WBA Junior Welterweight championship of the world. Originally the Pakistani-British boxer wanted to schedule his next fight before Ramadan, but that never happened due to a disagreement over financial terms. But now a deal has been signed for Khan to take on Argentinian Marcos Rene Maidana on December 11th in Las Vegas. The purse will be split 55-to-45 in favor of Khan.  The 23-year-old Khan (23-1, 17 knockouts) and the 27-year-old Maidana (29-1, 27 knockouts), will face-off at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, and the fight will be televised on HBO.

“All legality work for the next fight has been done,” Khan wrote on his personal Twitter page. “The fight has been signed by both parties. It’s Khan versus Maidana, December 11th, venue to be confirmed, on HBO Boxing and Sky Sports.”

“It will be a great fight and a great weekend. Amir Khan has fans in the United Kingdom, but if you want to capture the United States’ market, this is a way to build someone into a superstar in the United States,” said Robert Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, in an interview with Boxing Fanhouse. “Then, we will go back to the United Kingdom. Amir is really excited about it, and so, is Maidana to be fighting one of the super stars in the sport.”

“What a wonderful thing for the boxing world. It’s going to be a wonderful event,” said Oscar De La Hoya, legendary boxer and founder of Golden Boy Promotions, in an interview with Boxing Fanhouse. “…I am looking forward to it like every fan. I’m glad that it’s going to be in Las Vegas, because Amir Khan can really make a splash here in America.” Next stop Las Vegas, in King Khan’s quest to conquer the boxing world.

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