About a month ago, word went around that Amir Khan would choose to avoid a fight with hard-punching Marcos Maidana. Today, trainer Freddie Roach has told The Sun that he'd definitely advise Khan to do just that.
"It's a business and it's about the right fights at the right time. There are some good fights out there for Amir.
"He can outbox Maidana but he's tough, a good puncher and you don't want to exchange with him too much."
Roach suggests that Khan vacate his 140-pound title instead of facing Maidana, who holds the interim belt of the same sanctioning body (WBA).
This won't win Khan any new fans among the hardcore boxing fan sect, but it's probably the right career move. Khan's chin is terrible, and Maidana is a really nasty puncher. There are very good fights out there for the 23-year-old Briton, guys who are far less perfectly designed to demolish Khan's one real weakness.
That said, whether or not this means Khan will decide to avoid a fight with Maidana is up in the air. Promoter Frank Warren has matched him with just one big puncher before, and Breidis Prescott (who is no Maidana) knocked Khan out in 54 seconds. But they've shown the guts to fight big punchers in the past, so if Khan decides he needs to do this for whatever reason, it could still happen.
It's a fight I'd certainly like to see. It's one of those fights, conceivably, where you would be on the edge of your seat, since it could seriously end at any moment.