Amir Khan v Samuel Vargas Preview and Predictions

Whenever I mention that Floyd Mayweather ducked Amir Khan my alcohol intake is nearly always questioned but I stand by it. The first thing people bring up is Khan’s chin, or supposed lack of it, but he has taken some fearsome shots in his time that would put most other people down too. 

His problems have often come off the back of him being drawn into a dog fight rather than sticking to the game plan but I’m more interested in his attacking prowess than his defensive skills. When Khan uses his head and his speed and his power he is, or maybe was, a frightening proposition.

Did Mayweather Duck Amir Khan?

Mayweather could have fought Khan and crossed the last real name off the list for his 50^th fight but instead he chose to bring the circus to town. Fair play to him though, instead of fighting someone faster and more powerful than himself, not to mention 10 years his junior, he managed to almost legitimise a fight against a loud-mouthed amateur for millions more. Nice work if you can get it!

In the meantime Amir Khan has spent some time in the jungle and flirted with Kell Brook now and then with no sign of them signing a contract as of yet. He fights on September 8^th for only the second time since 2016 looking to make himself relevant once more on the title scene.

It’s easy to forget that he’s only 31, and it’s perhaps convenient for some to forget that while memorable his defeats have not been that frequent: four in 36 fights, 3 KOs. Two of those came against drugs cheats too, not that I’m saying that necessarily changed the outcome but it is a possibility, however small.

About Samuel Vargas

The comeback fight against Phil Lo Greco ended in seconds so doesn’t tell us a great deal about Khan’s condition at this stage of his career. In Samuel Vargas he’s taking on a tough Columbian with only 3 defeats to his name. Two of these KOs coming respectively against the undefeated Errol Spence Jr and more recently Danny Garcia.

Garcia beat Khan in four rounds as opposed to seven with Vargas. You could argue that there’s no shame in losing to those two but equally the Columbian may have lost a number of other fights if the opposition had been stronger. We’ll get a better idea of that once the opening bell has rung. The winner will certainly move on to bigger and better things and Manny Pacquiao’s name has been mentioned among others.

Khan And Haye Similarities

There are potential similarities between Khan’s return and that of David Haye given the amount of time they were out of the ring. The Hayemaker racked up two quick knockout victories on his comeback before finding out v Tony Bellew that he wasn’t the fighter of old and this is a possibility for Khan.

The differences would be that Amir does not seem to have lived the lavish lifestyle of Haye and doesn’t seem to be just in it for the money. Another positive sign is that the injured hand he suffered earlier on in his career has been operated on and been allowed to fully heal due to his absence.

Khan v Vargas Prediction

Love him or hate him Amir Khan’s fights are never boring and I don’t expect this to one to be either. Quite simply Khan needs to win and in style to get his name back in the mix. He looks to have retained all of the assets from earlier on in his career and should be stronger and schooled enough with his current trainer to see him put up a solid defence too if needed.  

And for those who still say he can’t take a hit just take another look at the Marcos Maidana fight. Nobody without a chin would have survived that let alone go on to win like Khan did.

Khan v Vargas Odds

Khan to win on points at 5/2

Khan to win in round 6 at 10/1

Khan v Maidana Highlights