Boxing Betting / Ralph Ellis / 07 May 2010 /

Britain's Amir Khan is stranded in Vancouver as he struggles to secure a United States Visa - not the best preparation for next weekend's bout

It was John Lennon who came up with one of my favourite song lines "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans". Amir Khan will know just what he meant this morning.

Britain's WBA world light welterweight champion should have been in New York by now getting ready for fight against WBO champ Pauli Malignaggi a week tomorrow. Instead he's stuck in Vancouver, and it's got nothing to do with volcanic ash, air traffic controllers going on strike or any of the other things that disrupt flight plans.

Khan is marooned because of his Pakistani background and the attempted terrorist bombing of New York's Times Square last weekend that has brought back the worst of United States jitters over security. After doing some training in Los Angeles on a tourist visa, he needs a work permit to return to America. All he's being told by the US Department of Homeland Security is that the application is "in process".

Given Khan's proud record of speaking up against terrorism or racism in any form, and the way he's worked to specifically avoid becoming any sort of flag bearer for political causes, it's all the more daft. The Land of the Free is giving another example of its new status as the Land of the Red Tape. He submitted his application back in March. When he was told there was a delay he went to the British Consulate in Vancouver to sort it out. That was ten days ago and nothing is moving since.

Even the guy who is waiting to face him can't understand it. "It seems so simple. This guy is coming to work, let him in," he says. "I know you have guys trying to blow up Times Square but how do those guys get into the country, but this guy is coming here to work yet can't get in?"

The latest from his camp is that he hopes to get into New York in time to do press conferences at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday or Wednesday. But then again he hoped to be there a week ago! And it's a complication that the 23-year-old Khan could do without. After his astonishing 76 second demolition of Dmitry Salita, this fight was meant to be a relatively easy step up in his ultimate aim of becoming undisputed champ.

Even Kevin Mitchell, preparing for his own battle shortly with Michael Katsidis, has had a dig at Khan for taking an easy option. But it might be that the build up problems mean both are under-rating the threat to come.

Malignaggi might have been brutally stopped by Ricky Hatton a couple of years ago, but even at 29 he still possesses hand speed and the ability to land clean punches that can make him a dangerous opponent. All of a sudden the [1.19] for Khan to win looks tempting to lay, and the longer the red tape wraps up Khan's arrival the more that will be the case.

Five things you might not know about Pauli Malignaggi

1. His father Sebastiano is a forner professional soccer player who lives in Sicily
2. Although he was born in Brooklyn, he grew up in Sicily until he was six years old when he returned to New York with his grandfather.
3. He was getting into trouble with street gangs before his grandfather took him to the local gym when he was 16
4. He speaks four languages, Italian, Sicilian, Spanish and English
5. He's posed in the nude for both Playboy and Esquire magazines and describes himself as a "superstud"

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

:

:

:

?

: