High Drama at Mandalay Bay as Khan Holds Off Maidana

Andrew Fruman recaps Saturday night's HBO main-event between Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana.

Amir Khan won it, but just barely.  Nearly out on his feet during a hair raising tenth round, the flashy Brit managed to stay upright for the full twelve in holding off a determined rally by Argentinean brawler Marcos Maidana.  It was a punishing, exhausting battle, featuring the kind of high drama that prize fighting delivers every once in awhile, with both fighters having their resolve pushed to the limit.

Early on, it looked like Khan might make short work of his rugged adversary, as a devastating left hand under the elbow crumpled Maidana to the canvas late in the first session.  It was the type of digging liver shot that most fighters don't recover from, but Maidana managed to pull himself up before riding out the remaining few seconds of the round.

Clearly not fully recovered from the blow to the mid-section, Maidana was no match for Khan in the second round but started to work his way back into the fight during the third and fourth sessions.  Making up for Khan's edge in hand speed, Maidana did a fine job of cutting off the ring and ripping right hands that occasionally found the mark.  In response Khan picked his spots to stop and hammer home combinations, though was often forced to hold and at times looked uncomfortable with the pressure.

With the fight getting a little messy at times, the action nearly boiled over in the fifth when Maidana fired an elbow in Khan's direction on the break.  The elbow didn't connect, though the intent was there and Referee Joe Cortez took a point away from Maidana for the infraction.  Though correct in his ruling on that occasion, it was a poor night overall for the third man in the ring.  He spent far too much time getting involved in the action, often unnecessarily breaking the fighters when Maidana was working with a free hand in the clinch.

Khan seemed to take charge again the following round, and for a couple sessions it appeared that Maidana's hard push to get back in the fight had sapped a little of his energy.  He wasn't chasing with the same intensity, while Khan's sharper shots were dictating the pace.

Then came the extraordinary tenth, with Maidana buzzing Khan early before hammering the tiring sharp shooter from one end of the ring to the other for what seemed like an eternity.  At times it looked like a stiff breeze would knock Khan over, but he hung on grimly, forcing clinches and using the ropes to steady his shaky legs.  Maidana relentlessly pushed forward, banging home uppercuts, body shots and overhand rights as he attempted to finish matters, leaving Khan wobbling on unsteady legs back to the corner at the bell.

Having let his hands go in search of the finish, Maidana was a little too weary in the eleventh to really press his advantage, though he did have Khan retreating for much of the three minutes.  Khan found moments to stand and deliver clean counters, but appeared to be mostly in survival mode.

Maidana continued to press forward in the twelfth, though didn't have quite enough gas in his taken to put Khan in too much further distress and the man from Bolton managed to hang on, before coming back with some of his own offense to close the show.

The final scores were unanimous in Khan's favor, with two judges having the bout scored 114-111 and the other tally reading 113-112.

Overall it was a valiant effort by both fighters.

Maidana is one tough piece of work.  Having been nearly broken in half by the early body shot, he simply dusted himself off and barged his way back into the fight.  Is there another active fighter that can match his determination?  Down and out, badly outgunned, exhausted, it doesn't matter, he simply grinds his way back.  He's the kind of hard-nosed warrior that would have been right at home in the days of six ounce gloves and fifteen round contests.

Despite his late struggles, Khan proved he's a fighter with the ability to take the incoming, something many critics had doubted.  He also showed the desire to stand his ground and rip hard counters in the face of a dangerous opponent, not to mention the survival instincts of a seasoned pro.  It wasn't the dominating win he may have hoped for, but it was a real gutsy night's work.

Now how about a rematch?

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