Boxing / Ralph Ellis / 14 March 2009 / Leave a comment

At some point every promising boxer must step up from facing well chosen fodder and fight somebody who could have the beating of him. However, Amir Khan is taking a big gamble by taking on Marco Antonio Barrera, says Ralph Ellis.

I vividly remember the first defeat of Frank Bruno's professional career. The giant and lovable people's hero was probably the last British boxer to capture the unqualified support of the nation. His fights were always on free TV, and his friendship with the BBC's doyen boxing commentator Harry Carpenter had made "know what I mean 'Arry" a catchphrase for the whole country.

We all - naively - believed that he was on his way to dominate the heavyweight division. He was working his way through a series of carefully selected opponents who were there basically to be used as punchbags. And then came the 22nd fight of his career when his winning run was ended by James "Bonecrusher" Smith. Carpenter climbed into the ring to ask what had gone wrong after the shock tenth round knockdown. "He hit me 'Arry", was the response.

It was the defining reminder that at some time in every promising boxer's career he has to step up from facing well chosen cannon fodder and fight somebody who might just try to punch back. And it's a stage that Amir Khan has gone through all too painfully.

Khan, similarly the toast of the nation when he collected silver at the Athens Olympics aged just 17, had also been working his way steadily upwards until he ran into Breidis Prescott last year. That 54 second knockout left him desperately seeking a way to put his career back on track, and this Saturday in Manchester he's taking a huge gamble to restore his reputation.

On the face of it his fight with Marco Antonio Barrera is perfectly chosen - a match up against one of the sport's biggest names so that victory would resonate around the world. And Barrera is 35, at the back end of his career, and moving up to a different weight division where he is largely untried.

But things are never that simple, and the Mexican has made it clear in today's papers that he has no intention of helping put Khan's career back on the map. "Khan thinks he can use me as a stepping stone to a world title fight. I've got news for him. I'm no stepping stone for anyone," he warns.

"I don't see this bout as a risk to my number one ranking. I have got this opportunity to come here and win and I am taking it. I fight anybody. I don't plan to retire until I become the only man from my country to have won a world title at four different weights and this is a stepping stone for me too."

To back that up Barrera, a huge football fan, has turned down the chance to see Manchester United play Inter Milan tonight to stay focused on his training. He's not even ventured 20 minutes down the road to meet up with his mate Ricky Hatton. "It is a distraction too far out of town," he says.

It all suggests Barrera can stop Khan's career in its tracks in the same way he once did to another great British hope, Naseem Hamed. So the chance to back him at odds against (he's [2.26]) looks extremely good value. He's got the experience and punching power to win the fight inside the distance as well - and it's [3.5] for the Mexican to win other than on points.

Five things you might not know about Marco Antonio Barrera

1. Born in Mexico City in 1974 he had a middle class upbringing - his dad was a set designer for TV shows

2. Despite a sensational record as an amateur boxer (104-4), and twinning his first pro fight aged 15, he started fighting part-time, combining it with studying law at La Salle University

3. He actually announced his retirement from boxing aged 23 after losing to Junior Jones - within 18 months he was back and had recovered his world Super Bantamweight title

4. His training for his 2003 defeat by Manny Pacquiao was disrupted when wildfires threatened his training camp in Big Bear Lake California

5. After spending all his career being promoted by Oscar de la Hoya he's now signed a five-year deal with Don King