While he may never be in the conversation of the best fighters in his generation, he certainly should be on the upper echelon of the list when it came to bringing the most excitement in the ring.
One of the most physically gifted athletes to ever enter the square ring circle, he often overwhelmed his opponents with his quickness, fast hands and one-punch knockout power. In fact, he was such a dynamic puncher that he was named by Ring Magazine a few years ago as the 46th greatest puncher of all time. In retrospect, it was probably the major factor that he was able to be successful for a long time despite limited technical skills.
He was also similar to Pacquiao that he had the ability to significantly damage his opponents by landing punches from awkward angles. He is also probably the only boxer in history, whose ring entrances provided as much topics for conversation as his ring exploits. Remember his 'Thriller' ring entrance against Wayne McCullough?
But no matter what you think of his ring antics, you can't argue that he was probably the best Muslim boxer from Britain. However, that fact may no longer be true since Khan is rapidly gaining more recognition as he continues to dominate his opponents as he steps up in competition.
Once seen as an overhyped prospect by some boxing fans, Khan has overcome obstacles to reach his status today as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport. In fact, even in his short career so far, his accomplishment is close to surpassing Hamed's if it hasn't already.
In terms of quality opponents, he has probably already equaled his predecessor thanks to his recent wins against quality opponents such as Marcos Maidana, Andriy Kotelnyk, Marco Antonio Barrera, Zab Judah and Dmitri Salita all of whom are almost comparable to Hamed's grestest victims such as Wayne McCullough, Kevin Kelley, Augie Sanchez, Wilfredo Vasquez and Cesar Soto. However I still give the edge to Hamed since Wayne McCullough and Kevin Kelley are probably better fighters than any of the opponents that Khan has faced so far. In addition, the version of Barrera that Hamed faced was near his prime and not an aging fighter that Khan had dominated.
No doubt Khan will surpass Hamed's accomplishments, but he still needs to continue his dominant ways against more elite opponents. Remember, even though Hamed was limited technically, there is no argument that Hamed was more dominant during his time in comparison to Khan. He successfully defended his featherweight title fifteen times with thirteen of them coming via a knockout. He also held numerous belts such as the WBC, IBF and WBO featherweight crowns. In fact, if Wilfredo Vasquez had not been stripped of his WBA title for some B.S. reason such as not wanting it to be unified along with the WBO, Hamed would have had all four major titles, which is a rare feat that only Riddick Bowe in the heavyweight division and Hopkings in the middleweight division have done.
Still, with Hamed shortened career and Khan just beginning to carve a legacy for himself, it makes sense to think that the latter will have a greater legacy. In fact, a few more wins against the likes of Bradley, Ortiz, Mayweather Jr and maybe Pacquiao, he can swiftly leave Hamed in the dust. A feat that may have been thought as impossible by his critics a year ago, but now within the realm of possibility because of the versatility and an improved that he has shown in recent fights.
But it probably makes a few fans wonder who would have won, if the two had a chance to face each other in the ring. Many fans may now favor pick Khan for his technical skills and reach advantage. But remember Hamed was not ranked as one of the greatest punchers of all time by Ring Magazine for nothing. At lightweight, he would have given Khan a run for his money because of the latter's suspect chin and not to mention Roach not being in his corner. However, Khan would probably be too much at junior welterweight and overwhelm Hamed with his strength, size and skill.
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