LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Britain’s Amir Khan says undefeated Carlos Molina will be in for a surprise when they meet this week in a bout where the normally offensively-oriented fighter plans to unveil a new-look defence.
Khan, who lost his last two fights after some defensive lapses, will get a chance to display his back-to-basics approach when he meets the 27-year-old Mexican American on Saturday at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
“He’s seen the old Amir Khan,” the Bolton boxer told Reuters in a recent interview. “He doesn’t know what the new one looks like or fights like. He might think he knows what to do, but on Saturday night he’s going to see a completely new Amir Khan.”
It is a change that Khan, (26-3, 18 KOs), says was necessary in the wake of July’s shock light-welterweight title loss to American Danny Garcia, in which he was knocked down three times en route to a fourth-round stoppage.
Khan said the first step to retooling his approach was leaving the famed Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, where he had been working with Manny Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach, and switching to the gym of Virgil Hunter in quieter Hayward, California.
“I got to know too many people in LA. It’s an amazing place, there’s so much to do, but there are a lot of distractions at the same time,” said Khan.
“It was fun, don’t get me wrong, and I don’t regret any of the time I spent there. But I needed to get my head down now, and be somewhere a lot quieter and just focus more on boxing.”
