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With Amir Khan in need of an opponent and Luis Collazo's name hot after a January knockout of Victor Ortiz, Collazo's team are offering the fighter's services as Khan searches for a credible foe to face him in his first fight at the full welterweight limit.
Trainer Nirmal Lorick tells BoxingScene.com that they're ready to go:
"We'll go in there and do to him what we did to Victor Ortiz. One of the best welterweights is Louie. We are ready to fight right now. If Khan is ready, we're ready. All Khan has to do is step up to the plate. Louie has been one of the best welterweights in the world for the last ten years, so what better fight can he have? ... Khan has been talking a lot about wanting a top guy and Louie is a top four guy."
While it's a bit of salesmanship to say that Collazo (35-5, 18 KO) is a top four welterweight due to one win over a name guy who hadn't fought in a year and a half, Collazo is certainly credible and presents enough danger for Khan with his style for a good fight. Also, I guess if you take out the guys Khan can't fight who are with Top Rank or whatever, Collazo might be a top four welterweight. You could at least make some argument for it, I suppose.
The point, of course, is just about the fight itself, not the promoterspeak, and the fight is perfectly good. Collazo put himself in line for this sort of next opportunity when he blasted Ortiz, and Khan needs to fight someone real at welterweight. No matter where you put him among the top 5 or 10 or 15, Collazo is real.