Signing off
Off to the post-fight press conference. Check back later for a fight report from a night that both did and didn’t go according to plan.
Tonight’s official scorecard
Here’s a look at tonight’s official scorecards. The Guardian unofficially had it 116-112. (Apologies for the earlier post of the incorrect scorecard. Working quickly tonight. Mistakes were made.)
Updated
Trying to get our hands on an official scorecard as the first of two swing bouts gets underway here. Stand by.
Amir Khan UD 12 Chris Algieri
Khan wins by unanimous decision. Judges scores were 115-113, 117-111 and 117-111.
The Guardian has unofficially scored it 116-112, eight rounds to four for Khan, but there were at least four very close rounds in there. And we’re in Algieri’s hometown. So who the hell knows. Waiting on the judges scorecards.
Round 12
Khan simply in better shape. It showed over the second half of the fight even as Algieri dug deep as if it was his last fight. Another sort of listless round halfway through, but Khan moving nicely, even gracefully at times, throwing combinations to the head and body. A round that could go either way but, eh, I’m giving to Algieri as he really pressed the action at a time when Khan seemed intent to pirouette and throw combos to score.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Khan 9-10 Algieri (Khan 116-112 Algieri)
Round 11
Khan landing with more accuracy, stinging shots to the head and body. But credit to Algieri, who has slowed but keeps moving forward, throwing – and landing – shots with bad intentions. Big shot from Algieri upstairs! Then a pause in the action and a three-punch combo from Khan. Algieri bouncing on his heels but no longer pressuring Khan and mvoing forward. Fighters circle one another. Not a convincing round by either fighter. A swing round that could go either way, but Khan did seem to dictate (if only barely).
Guardian’s unofficial score: Khan 10-9 Algieri (Khan 107-102 Algieri)
Round 10
A counter right from Khan to open the round lands with authority. Algieri slowing, less active. Khan showing the class of a champion. What a shot to Algieri’s abdomen by Khan, who has completely take over, landing heavy blows. Oh dear. Khan landing punches at will to the head and body. Another massive shot from Khan. Ten seconds left in the round and Algieri loads up on a big right that connects but not clearly. Khan darts out. He’s won the round easily and seems well in control.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Khan 10-9 Algieri (Khan 97-93 Algieri)
Round 9
Khan’s conditioning shining through here. Looks fresher in the early stages of the round, moving backwards and punching with pace and accuracy. Algieri’s eyes swollen as he lunges forward. Khan’s winning the round with speed but Algieri still mvoing forward looking to dictate everything. A punishing left from Algieri as the clapper sounds, but Khan comes back with a blistering three-punch combo – nearly too fast for the eye to register – that punctuates a round he was already leading.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Khan 10-9 Algieri (Khan 87-84 Algieri)
Round 8
More well-schooled combinations from Khan upstairs, but Algieri counters with a heat-seeking right hand that seems to hurt Khan a bit. This pressure, this pace. Then another even bigger right hand snaps Khan’s head back and sprays sweat onto the scoring table. Khan still landing combinations – better here! – a head-body-head combo from the Briton. A very difficult round to score: Khan with the classer combination work, Algieri with the harder punches. A honest toss-up I’ll give to Khan.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Khan 10-9 Algieri (Khan 77-75 Algieri)
Round 7
Algieri back on the prowl, closing the distance and forcing the fight into a phone booth. Backs Khan up against the ropes and tries his hand at some in-fighting. Then Khan muscles him around and bullies Algieri into the corner, throwing a combination. The referee is very hands-on tonight, not letting these guys work. Annoying. Khan consistently first with his jab now. Wasn’t the case in the earlier rounds. Algieri’s eye swelling more than a bit. Not a ton of effective aggression from Khan but did more, enough to take the round.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Khan 10-9 Algieri (Khan 67-66 Algieri)
Round 6
Better stuff from Khan here all around. Lands a three-punch combination that doesn’t seem to hurt Algieri but how couldn’t it have. Not sure if Algieri is slowing down or taking a round off. Understandable given the frenetic pace he’s set for himself. Lots of dazzling combinations from Khan. Showing his class here. Easiest round of the night to score.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Khan 10-9 Algieri (Khan 57-57 Algieri)
Round 5
Not sure anyone saw this sort of action fight coming but here we are. Algieri still moving forward and doing his best to confound Khan’s speed with pressure. Khan backing up, backing up, trying to find any sort of distance to leverage his reach advantage but Algieri gives him no quarter. Khan goes down but the referee rules it a slip. Algieri fighting the perfect fight and – and this is important – he’s committed to the body attack. That could pay dividends in the later rounds. Again, this one could go either way, but I am going to give it to Algieri on pressure and workrate. If it goes the distance, will be interesting to see how these early rounds are scored.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Khan 9-10 Algieri (Khan 47-48 Algieri)
Round 4
Love Algieri’s game plan here, not playing to his strengths but more to Khan’s perceived weaknesses. Khan lands a punishing combination to the body right there. Do think he’s becoming accustomed to the geometry and rhythm of the fight and is starting to do better work. A very sharp lead left hook for Algieri, who has used thar punch to great effect so far. They exchange in the middle of the ring. A TNT-packed right hook from Algieri detonates on Khan’s jaw. If he had any more power Khan might be floored by now. Very, very close round. Will give to Algieri.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Khan 9-10 Algieri (Khan 38-38 Algieri)
Round 3
Third round picks up where the second left off, Algieri stalking Khan around the ring. And – oh my goodness – a crowd that seemed very partisan for Khan before the fight seems to be squarely in Algieri’s corner now as they chant his name. Algieri very active, moving forward, throwing punches with bad intentions. Many are missing, but he’s really setting the pace. Algieri really trying to make this a brawl! Algieri missed a lot of punches that round but there’s no doubt who is imposing their plan on the fight and I do think he did enough to nick it.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Khan 9-10 Algieri (Khan 29-28 Algieri)
Round 2
Algieri really looks like the bigger man, admirably taking the fight to Khan despite what he lacks in speed. Trying to use his size advantage to muscle and bully inside. He’s really backing Khan up, but Amir is able to score while moving backwards. Really like Algieri’s strategy here, trying to make Khan feel the pressure. One minute left and Algieri is really closing the distance here, moving inside with great urgency, trying to cut the ring off. Khan landing punches, scoring even, enough to win the round, though I’m not sure how much effect those blows are having on Algieri.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Khan 10-9 Algieri (Khan 20-18 Algieri)
Round 1
Khan first off with a nice left-right combination upstairs, circling back to his left. Immediately looks much faster. Algieri, in florescent yellow shoes with matching gloves, certainly looks bigger. He’s trying to walk Khan down. Algieri gets Khan up against the ropes and lands a nice combination, whike Khan is trying to counter. Algieri lanks a quick short left while moving inside. Algieri now initatiating the action, landing a right cross flush on Khan’s jaw that staggers Khan and draws a big reaction from the crowd. Still, Khan did enough with the speedy counterpunching to win.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Khan 10-9 Algieri (Khan 10-9 Algieri)
Updated
Final instructions
Fighters meeting at the center of the ring. Seconds out. This is it. We’ll pick it up with round-by-round coverage from here on out.
Fighters making entrances
Time for the stripped-down ringwalks that have become the Premier Boxing Champions standard. First out is Algieri, who enters to Nas’s N.Y. State of Mind wearing a Brooklyn Nets hat. Now here comes Khan to Aloe Blacc’s The Man, wearing in a red, white and blue kit.
Updated
Lucas star Jeremy Piven at ringside tonight.
Great to have @jeremypiven ringside! He's ready for the main event. #PBConSpike pic.twitter.com/h1gzPnCoRz
— SPIKE (@spike) May 30, 2015
Javier Fortuna is your new WBA junior lightweight champion after winning a unanimous decision over Bryan Vasquez. Official scores were 116-112, 117-111 and 117-111. Great fight.
The Fortuna-Vasquez prelim has just ended and it’s a close one. I’ve got it 116-112 to Fortuna, but the scores on press row are all over the map. Waiting on the official cards. Meanwhile in the bowels of Barclays Center, tonight’s A-side is getting loose.
#TeamKhan pic.twitter.com/CcwQPujlVY
— Haroon khan (@harrykingkhan) May 30, 2015
What time will Khan v Algieri start?
Saf K chimes in on Twitter to asks what time tonight’s main event starts. We’ve just finished the ninth round of tonight’s final prelim, a 12-rounder, so I’ll venture to guess Khan and Algieri make their ringwalks at 10.15pm ET/3.15 BST.
The pace in Fortuna-Vasquez has slowed a bit in the middle rounds. Good time to look back at a conversation I had with Khan’s trainer Virgil Hunter this week. Found he had some interesting thoughts on the negative public reaction to Mayweather v Pacquiao.
You don’t have educated fans today. And the people on TV, with all due respect to them, they try to program the fan into thinking that, if it’s not a certain way, it’s not a good fight. But that same fan will watch a good strategic soccer game or a basketball game. Strategy, always strategy. Success in life comes from strategy.
...
When you see a master, isn’t he supposed to make it look easy? If you’re getting your home remodeled and you have a carpenter come in there and every other nail, he’s slamming it into the wood crooked and then pulling it out, you’re going to get rid of him, right?
More yet, if you had a son and he wanted to box and you took him to a coach and he said, ‘Look, I’m gonna teach your son how to go toe to toe. If he get a black eye, he’s gonna give one. If he get a bloody mouth, he’s gonna give one.’ You take him to another coach and he says, ‘I’m gonna teach your son how to hit and not get hit,’ you’re gonna leave him with that guy.
It gets me today about the science of boxing. ‘Oh, he ran.’ Where you going to run in the ring? Now if he jumped out the ring and ran to the dressing room, yeah, he ran. But he has a right to use every inch of that ring. That’s like telling a great tennis player, you can only play up the middle, you can’t use the whole court. That’s like telling a great soccer player, you can only go past the midfield, you can’t go no further. That’s like telling a football running back, you can’t run to the sidelines, or like telling LeBron James, ‘You have to shoot 3s, you can’t go to the hoop.’
Since inheriting Khan from Freddie Roach, the 61-year-old retired probation officer has helped temper the Bolton puncher’s natural offensive skills with a tactical maturity. He showed brilliantly last time out against a world class opponent in Devon Alexander. Will be interested to see tonight not just if Khan can win, but if he can chart improvement in his personal development.
Javier Fortuna (27-0-1, 20 KOs) in the ring now against Bryan Vasquez (34-1, 18 KOs) with the vacant WBA junior lightweight championship on the line. Well, the regular version, whatever that means. Lots of crowd-pleasing exchanges so far. I’ve got Fortuna ahead three rounds to none on my card. Barclays Center, roughly half-empty in the minutes before this fight, filling up nicely now.
Tale of the tape
Hello! We’re here at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, where just one preliminary fight remains before Amir Khan takes on Chris Algieri in a 12-round welterweight fight. A quick look at tonight’s tale of the tape before we move forward.
Khan Algieri
28 Age 31
5ft 9in Height 5ft 10in
146.4lb Weight 146.2lb
Orthodox Stance Orthodox
71in Reach 72in
30/0/3 w/d/l 20/0/1
19 KOs 8
Updated
Bryan will be here shortly. Meanwhile, here’s his preview of tonight’s fight:
This time last year Amir Khan was on the shortlist of candidates to meet Floyd Mayweather in a Saturday night pay-per-view blockbuster from Las Vegas, the sport’s most prestigious and lucrative platform. Now he’s fighting Chris Algieri on a Friday in Brooklyn on Spike TV, the network that brought you Stripperella, 1,000 Ways to Die and Tattoo Nightmares.
The Bolton puncher has always been proof the road to success is seldom a straight line. Wins over world champions like Devon Alexander, Marcos Maidana, Zab Judah, Andriy Kotelnik and Paulie Malignaggi have pushed him to the fringe of the Hall of Fame discussion, but the high-profile setbacks – a tactically inept knockout loss to Danny Garcia and 54-second destruction at the hands of Breidis Prescott – have often subverted his ascent at the worst possible times.
He’s lived upstairs with the Crawleys and downstairs with Mr Carson and co. Where he spends the all-important summer of his career will depend largely on how the next year unfolds – a chapter that begins with a 12-round welterweight fight against Algieri at the sleek $1bn Barclays Center. Both fighters came in fractions of a pound under the 147lb limit at Thursday’s weigh-in.
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