Khan may be Roach's next great fighter

Amir Khan is a world champion at just 24 years old, but he's far from a finished product. The maturation from boy to man, inside and outside of the ring, has been key according to his trainer Freddie Roach.

Khan, an Olympian at 17, was thrown into the spotlight early in his pro career. He didn't always do things the right way. 

"He's definitely grown up a lot," the trainer told The Guardian, "but we have a lot of fun in training camp and he's still got a great sense of humour. Then, when it comes down to business, he's 100% there," Roach said.

"He's going maybe from a kid to a man now. He's matured very much, and the maturity shows in the ring also. It carries over. It's great for me, of course. We understand each other completely. We're on the same page. We know exactly what to do in any situation."

The British phenom takes a major step up in class when he takes on Marcos Maidana (HBO - 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. ET). The Argentinian is the man everyone at 140 pounds wanted to avoid. He's got 27 finishes in 30 fights. That includes 10 first-round knockouts.

Khan's speed and talent has been enough to carry him to a 23-1 record. Now we may see where his work under Roach is really necessary. Khan reminds Roach of his early days with Manny Pacquiao.

"Pac-Man" partnered with the trainer in the early 2000's as a raw, one-dimensional fighter. 

"[... ]Manny went through this. He also went from a young kid to a man when he was with me. So, it's great to see it happening again."

"Amir has a lot of similarities with Pacquiao, not just in natural ability; they actually emulate each other a little bit. They copy each other – the moves of the other guy that they know work for themselves also."

This is a huge fight for Khan. Not only because Maidana (29-1, 27 KOs) is such a dangerous puncher, but it also offers Khan a chance to finally put to rest questions about his chin.

His only loss came against lightly-regarded Breides Prescott back in 2008. Prescott caught Khan with two nasty left hooks for the first knockdown and then finished him off with another left hook. Fans and the boxing media don't easily forget a 54-second loss.

Taking Maidana's best shots, surviving and winning the fight, will be massive for Khan. 

Genelle Frenoy Shania Twain Gwen Stefani