Former British Olympian Amir Khan fashioned a stunning American debut, easily stopping Paulie Malignaggi in the 11th round of a one-sided fight on Saturday. The 23-year-old Khan retained his World Boxing Association super lightweight title with a technical knockout of Brooklyn native Malignaggi.
Khan (23-1, 17 KOs) was clearly the better fighter, landing jabs and head shots. Referee Steve Smoger finally stopped the bout at 1:25 of the 11th round after the 29-year-old Malignaggi failed to put up a defence.
Malignaggi's face was swollen and he had to plead with the ringside doctor before the 11th round just to let him continue.
Malignaggi (27-4) didn't argue with the decision, tapping his chest and congratulating Khan on the win. Up next in the 140 pound class for Khan could be fighters such as Marcos Maidana and fellow titleholders Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander.
This was the second title defence for Khan, who landed 132 more punches than the American. Khan won the title over Andriy Kotelnik on July 18 last year and then defended the belt with a first-round TKO of Dmitriy Salita. He remains unbeaten (14-0) above 135 pounds. This was the sixth title fight for Malignaggi, who held the International Boxing Federation title at 140 pounds in 2008.
Khan signed up with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions earlier this year in a bid to improve his standing among US fight fans.
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