Teenage boxing sensation Amir Khan produced a gutsy display to set up
a final showdown with Cuba's Olympic champion Mario Kindelan - the man widely
regarded as the best lightweight on the planet.
Kindelan, a three-time world champion and the gold medallist from Sydney fours
years ago, was installed as a firm favourite to defend his title before a punch
had even been thrown in Athens.
And the 33-year-old, who plans to retire after the Games, has not been
seriously challenged during his run to the final, defeating Russia's Murat
Khrachev 20-10 in the semis on Friday night.
However, Khan is bidding to become the youngest ever British boxer to win an
Olympic gold medal and he showed tonight, against Kazakhstan's Serik Yeleuov,
that he is hungry for success.
The 17-year-old, who is now guaranteed at least a silver, was put under
pressure for the first time in the competition but responded to secure a 40-26
victory.
Khan attempted a make fast start but got caught by a couple of punches on the
way in.
He hit back with some decent shots but found himself in the unusual position
of being behind at the first bell.
Yeleuov is a cagey boxer and he waited for Khan to move in before catching him
with counter-punches.
The young Briton was still two points behind at the end of the second round
but he stepped up a gear in the third and looked more composed.
He nailed his opponent with flashy punches, although the most effective was
probably the straight right hand which found the target two or three times.
He led 27-21 going into the final round and simply outboxed his opponent to
clinch victory and a place in the final.
"The guy was awkward, very strong and the fight was quite hard for me,"
admitted Khan afterwards.
"I knew I was behind after the first two rounds and that I had to step it up.
At the same time he was getting tired while I started to feel more relaxed.
"I knew I started a bit slow but I also knew I could beat this guy. We've
been working on starting fast and finishing fast.
"I came through the fight and I'm guaranteed a silver medal now - it's
unbelievable for a 17-year-old. It's a dream come true for me to be in the
Olympic final."
Kindelan will pose more problems for Khan and has already beaten him in a
pre-Olympic test event earlier this year.
But the sports development student insists he has improved since they last met
and is relishing the challenge of facing one of the best pound-for-pound
amateurs around.
"I've lost him before but I'm a different fighter now," said Khan, who
stopped two of his three opponents in his run to semis.
"Since then I've working on my strength and my speed so I think it will be
good fight. We'll have to wait and see what happens in the final."
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