BOXING:Amir Khan took a huge step towards a world title shot with an excellent fifth-round technical decision win over bloodied legend Marco Antonio Barrera in Manchester on Saturday night.
Khan, 22, was back at the MEN Arena seeking to overcome the heartache of last September’s defeat by Breidis Prescott at the same venue.
And he did that in style, comfortably out-boxing the Mexican before a cut suffered in the first round eventually brought the end in the fifth after going to the scorecards.
Afterwards a jubilant Khan admitted: “This was a make or break fight for Amir Khan. I felt so completely easy, catching him with
jabs. I felt like I was on a better level than him.
“The jabbing and patience — I felt so strong. You could see the difference. I had to take some shots in that match. I made some mistakes in the past and I’m not going to make them again.”
Khan’s promoter Frank Warren insisted Khan would be a world champion by the end of 2009.
He said: “There was a lot on his shoulders but I always felt he could rise to the big occasion and he did tonight.
“I’d like to get it (a world title) done this year. I’d like to see him get a belt round his waist by the end of this year.”