“King” Khan Invades NY!

May 15, 2010; New York, NY; USA; Britain's Amir "King" Khan salutes fans as he's carried around the ring following his 11th round TKO win over Paulie Malignaggi at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. Photo -- Ed Mulholland/HBO

A fight night at the “Mecca of Boxing”, Madison Square Garden is one of those special things, as a fight fan you can get excited about, granted this was the small theatre side of things, but it still has that feel, especially when it’s a sell-out crowd of 5,000 fans. On this night they came to see ESPN 2007 Prospect of the Year, Britain’s Amir Khan take on his toughest opponent to date Brooklyn’s Paulie Malignaggi. Khan stormed into the pro’s fresh with an 2004 Olympic Silver Medal hanging around his neck, and quickly rattled 17 straight wins before being shocked and KO’d in the first round by Bredis Prescott in England. Since then he’s hired premier trainer Freddie Roach and scored 5 straight wins, capturing a world title belt along the way. Saturday his sights were set squarely on conquering the US, beginning with the Big Apple.

Flash back one day to the weigh-in, where some trash-talking, mixed in with some unruly fans led to a melee, which did nothing but fuel the fire even more for the Saturday night showdown.

May 14, 2010; New York, NY; USA; Tension boils over at the weigh-in for the fight between Amir Khan and Paulie Malignaggi. Photo -- Ed Mulholland/HBO

Weigh-in are usually a ho-hum affair, and a typical photo op of the two fighters facing off, I’ve done hundreds of them, and I can say at least this one had some spark. I managed to capture a decent image or two before being knocked back into my chair (which thankfully caught my fall).

The Garden had the same feeling the following night with chants of “USA” greeting the entrance of Britain’s Khan, while pockets of his supporters were equally as boisterous.

May 15, 2010; New York, NY; USA; Chants of "USA" greet Britain's Amir Khan as he makes his way to the ring for his US and HBO debut against Paulie Malignaggi. Photo Ed Mulholland/HBO

The two fighters went at it early, both trying to establish the jab early-on, and while both fighters landed good shots, it was apparent that Khan held a clear edge in power and a slight edge in speed.

May 15, 2010; New York, NY; USA; Amir Khan's (l) jab was sharp and a bit quicker than Malignaggi's over the course of the fight. Photo Ed Mulholland/HBO

The early rounds were well fought by both fighters, and while some were close, Khan seemed to do enough in each one, and his superior power was laying the ground work for later in the fight. Simply put, while Malignaggi was competitive, Khan held the edge in each and every round.

May 15, 2010; New York, NY; USA; Brooklyn's Paulie Malignaggi (r) landed plenty of his own shots, but couldn't match the power of Khan over the long haul, remaining competitive but losing each round. Photo Ed Mulholland/HBO

As the fight wore on, it became more one-sided and the only drama remaining was would Malignaggi make it to the final bell. After the 10th round the doctor’s took a long look, and Malignaggi, never lacking in toughness or heart, begged for one more round, hoping for the home run that would not come. After a series of punches and a strong right hand, referee Steve Smoger (rightly so as usual) called a halt to the action awarding Khan the TKO victory in the 11th.

May 15, 2010; New York, NY; USA; Punches like this from Amir Khan wore down Malignaggi over 11 rounds. Photo Ed Mulholland/HBO

May 15, 2010; New York, NY; USA; Once Khan softened Malignaggi up with the left hand, the right began to land with consistency. Only Malignaggi's heart kept him on his feet. Photo Ed Mulholland/HBO

The only way to categorize Khan’s American debut is a smashing success, and I’m sure he’ll be back on HBO before the end of the year. There are so many quality matchups in his weight class, including Timothy Bradley, Marcos Maidana, and Devon Alexander, that it’s going to be a fun ride for fans (and this photographer as well).

May 15, 2010; New York, NY; USA; Amir Khan's first visit to the US was a success. Now fights against Tim Bradley, Marcos Maidana and Devon Alexander may lie on the horizon.

In the co-feature, rising prospect Victor Ortiz, who is rebounding nicely from his first loss as well, blanked former champion Nate Campbell over 10 rounds, and looked sensational and patient in his performance, clearing learning from his loss to Marcos Maidana.

May 15, 2010; New York, NY; USA; Victor Ortiz (l) used patience, combinations, and good movement to win a 10 round unanimous decision over Nate Campbell (r) in the HBO televised co-feature.

I had a great time shooting the fights on Saturday night, shooting with good friends and meeting some new ones from the UK. Got to work with my brother Scott again, who assists me on the east coast. Thanks as always to Monica Sears at Golden Boy Promotions who always makes sure I’m taken care of.

In a funny end to the night, after packing up and heading out onto the streets of NYC, we were greeted by the smell of the food carts calling us. My brother and I wandered over to get a couple of gyros, about a minute later a very excited customer came on over to get a gyro as well…Victor Ortiz, apparently whether you are shooting a fight, or actually fighting, the gyro is the choice after a hard night’s work. Ortiz chatted with my brother and I for about 10 minutes about the fight, he’s a personable, polite athlete, and you can’t help rooting for him.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 at 8:09 am and is filed under Boxing Photography and tagged with Amir Khan, Boxing, Boxing After Dark, Boxing Photography, Boxing Stock Photography, HBO, Madison Square Garden, Nate Campbell, Paul Malignaggi, Paulie Malignaggi, Victor Ortiz. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.