Argentinean knockout expert Marcos Maidana is en route for a world title challenge with Amir Khan if he can get past DeMarcus Corley in Buenos Aires on Saturday. The 27-year-old holds the interim WBA light welterweight title and a victory in his backyard would make him mandatory challenger for Khan’s WBA title.

The heavy-handed Maidana has lost only once in 29 fights, a split decision to Andreas Kotelnik, and with 27 knockout wins, only one other fighter has survived until the final bell after going between the ropes with the man known as ‘El Chino’.

While Maidana has his sights locked on Khan, having been chasing a fight with the Bolton boxer for some time and recently blasting both Khan and trainer Freddie Roach liars, he seems to have forgotten the little matter of fighting the former WBO light welterweight champion Corley.

Maidana may have every right not to be worried about his next opponent. Despite being an experienced boxer, the 36-year-old Corley is on the downward spiral as he approaches the end of his career having lost nine of his last 15 fights.

However, it would be unwise of Maidana to take lightly a professional with 14-years experience who has faced some of the toughest fighters in contemporary boxing including reigning world champions Floyd Mayweather Jr, Miguel Cotto and Devon Alexander. Sharing a ring with the top contenders in any division can have its drawbacks and for Corley his record has taken as many a beating as he, currently standing at 37-13-1 (22 KOs).

Following a run of six losses in a row, ‘Chop Chop’ Chorley faced the kind of opponents placed in front of a fighter in need of a confidence boost, which seemed to do the trick as he enters the fight on the back of fourth round technical knockout of Damian Fuller just last month.

Maidana’s youth and power will serve him well to defeat Corley relatively comfortable and taking into consideration Corley fought only last month, it may well be a short night for the Washingtonian. However, anything can happen when two fighters to head-to-head and taking victory for granted against a professional with a total of 51 fights under his belt is the wrong attitude.

Anything but a convincing win will surely scupper Maidana’s hopes of facing reigning champion Khan and the more impressive he looks doing it, the bigger his bout against Khan will become.

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