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LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Amir Khan successfully defended his WBA 140-pound title with a narrow unanimous decision over Marcos Maidana on Saturday night, surviving the stiffest test of his career with guts and skill.
Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) knocked down Maidana with 10 seconds left in the first round of the British champion's Las Vegas debut with a vicious left hand to the body, and the fight never really slowed down.
The free-swinging Maidana seemed to be close to stopping Khan during a brilliant 10th round, but Khan absorbed every shot to his head and responded with a strong 11th.
Khan answered every question ...
about his toughness in his third title defense, finishing the fight
with blood dripping from his nose. Still scarred by a first-round
knockout loss in his only defeat more than two years ago, Khan has
grown tougher and stronger.
"I know I made mistakes, but I worked hard and came back stronger than
ever,'' Khan said. "He's a strong fighter, and he hits hard. My chin
was tested. I'm not taking anything away from him. He's a great
champion. I proved today I've got a chin.''
Maidana (29-2) was hurt by a point deduction by referee Joe Cortez in
the fifth round, apparently for throwing an elbow at Cortez in
frustration when the referee broke a clinch.
Judges Jerry Roth and C.J. Ross scored the bout 114-111 for Khan, and
Glenn Trowbridge favored the British champion 113-112. The Associated
Press also favored Khan 114-113.
The Argentine slugger attempted to bolt from the ring after the decision was announced, but his promoters pulled him back.
"I thought I won,'' Maidana said through a translator. "I thought I did enough in the final rounds to win the fight.''
Khan landed 45 percent of his 603 punches, while just 20 percent of
Maidana's 767 blows landed. Khan's jab was much more effective, and
Khan connected with 53 percent of his power shots - but Maidana landed
122 power punches, many of them apparently devastating.
"I fight with my heart,'' Khan said. "When I go into the ring, I know
I'm going to get hit. You can tell by his record he's a strong puncher,
and I took everything he gave me.''
The tone was set in the opening seconds of the fight when Khan
approached the middle of the ring with his glove raised in good
sportsmanship - and Maidana instead threw a sneaky left hook that
barely missed. Maidana then landed two shots to Khan's head in the
opening minute, sending the British champion on the defensive.
But Khan caught Maidana with two body shots in the final seconds of the
first round, and his left hand to Maidana's abdomen sent the Argentine
to his knees wearing a mask of pain. Khan also dominated the second
round, but Maidana caught Khan with two big punches early in the third.
After Cortez's unusual ruling when Maidana's elbow hit the referee in
the chest out of a clinch in the fifth, Maidana still responded with
two outstanding rounds, stalking Khan with uppercuts that had the
champion staggering.
After what appeared to be a scolding from trainer Freddie Roach, Khan
righted himself in the eighth and began to pepper Maidana with jabs and
combinations.
Maidana utterly dominated the 10th round, repeatedly rendering Khan
seemingly defenseless - but Khan never went down. Maidana also finished
strong, but Khan had enough of a lead to hang on.
Khan rocked to British stardom at 17 with a silver medal at the Athens
Olympics, but he doesn't yet have the international drawing power of
Ricky Hatton, Manchester's favorite son. Hatton got several thousand
Brits to make the transcontinental trip to Las Vegas for his biggest
fights, but Khan appears to be on the way: Hundreds of Khan's British
and Pakistani fans showed up at Mandalay Bay, blowing vuvuzelas and
waving both nations' flags.
Khan becomes arguably the biggest name in the stacked 140-pound
division also featuring titleholders Timothy Bradley - who attended
this fight - and Devon Alexander, who will meet in a title unification
bout in Michigan next month.
Maidana and Khan circled each other for several months before agreeing
to meet in Las Vegas. Khan wanted the fight in his native England, but
Maidana balked - his only career defeat was a split-decision defeat in
Germany.
So Khan, who turned 24 on Wednesday, agreed to a meeting in boxing's capital city, fulfilling a longtime dream.
The fight also was a breakthrough for Maidana, who was largely unknown
outside Argentina until his stunning sixth-round stoppage of Victor
Ortiz last year in Los Angeles. Maidana got up from three knockdowns in
the first two rounds of that fight, proving his chin and identifying
him as an intriguing brawler.
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