What are Amir Khan’s options? (By Nick Jackson - ringnews24)
That’s the question on a number of boxing enthusiast’s lips right now with many different signals being shot out from the Amir Khan name, people are genuinely left stuck predicting the boxers next move. He hasn’t fought since mid-last year putting doubt in the minds of his supporters over his future Khan hasn’t been shy in the media lately, coming out with some outrageous allegations about fellow British boxer, Anthony Joshua and flirting with models online. Amir’s chin has fallen in to question in recent years, with a few heavy defeats, non-more notable than his KO defeat to heavy hitter Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez which saw the Mexican hit Khan with a tremendous right hand to the chin in the 6th round.With his chin under question, what actually is next for Amir Khan?
Where better to track the boxers next move other than directly from the horse’s mouth? What has Khan said about his future? He has actually already addressed his intentions and purposes for the future, tweeting that he wishes to fight before the turn of the year, mid-2018 and once again in late 2018 but who will he be facing? Some of the names floating around at the moment are Manny Pacquiao, Kell Brook and a rematch with Danny Garcia. A fight with Brook seems to be the most discussed, spiced up by the hatred of each other. Brook is seeking to return to the ring around the same time, Khan seeks his return, encouraging the speculation. Talks between the two have taken place in the past with nothing growing out of them, with Amir Khan blaming promoter Eddie Hearn for ‘killing’ the chances of the fight ever happening saying “I just think sometimes the promoters kill a fight before it happens.” It has been reported that there was a disagreement between the purse split, with Khan believing he deserved more due to being the bigger name out of the two. The two have constantly taken digs at one another in the past, furthering the hunger for the fight. It seems like the both of them criticize the others every action or weighing in with their conflicting views, which has been occurring for a long while now. Both boxers are still open to the prospect of the fight making it to the big stage, while I fully expect that it will happen. For me, It’s a matter of when rather than if. I believe mid next year will be the date for a Khan-Brook clash.
So, who else? One name’s that gets brought up a lot when regarding Khan’s future is Manny Pacquiao. This was very nearly a reality earlier this year, with a date confirmed for a bout between the two being announced by the boxers themselves on twitter. The fight was supposed to take place on the 23rd of April but broke down due to complications with the investors who called for more time, which directly upset Khan, who stated that he wished to be in action as promptly as possible and that waiting wasn’t an option. Even after the fight was cancelled and Manny was set to fight Jeff Horn, the potential fixture wasn’t ruled out, with Khan’s team considering the Pacquiao-Horn fight a nice transition into their own fight. He has kept his mind open to the prospect of fighting the Philippine saying “Maybe I’ll take a UK fight for the UK fans and then go straight to a massive fight at the end of the year.” Khan remains hopeful of a 2018 face off between the two but this one I would say has a 50% chance of ever actually developing any further than just ‘talks’.
Khan has said before that he craves a rematch with Danny Garcia. In their fight, Garcia got the knockout in the 4th to pick up the WBA belt. When discussing his future, he said: “I think Garcia is a harder fight than Kell Brook and it’s just that unfinished business I have with him.” He added, “They’re both big fights, both big-money fights, but the fight between me and Garcia is something that always hurts me.” Khan did actually start the fight looking promising, he was too quick for Garcia but eventually was piled with a lot of pressure that saw him touching the canvas multiple times in the fight. He has stated if they were to entertain a rematch, he would be more focused and competitively better while taking the fight 100% more serious. Garcia has stated that Khan would be making a ‘dumb’ decision in seeking the rematch, also started the fight isn’t exactly something he desires but said if the Brit was able to rebuild his confidence, then he’d consider the fight. I am aware things could change at any moment but I can’t picture this fight going ahead in the near future.
Who else? Khan is in a weird situation, he could either go for a shot for a 3rd world title or fade away. At only 30-years-old, he still potentially has a good few years in him. The men he has been defeated by in recent years bring little to no shame. People will always find a way to complain. I defiantly tip Khan’s journey to continue to grow stronger over the next few years but to do that you need big fights. Who is out there that could potentially lock horns with the Bolton boxer?
Errol Spence Jr? Truthfully, there is little to nothing that suggests the two will clash in the future but has still been mentioned here and there. I believe if Khan’s journey saw him build up his reputation again, these two will be fight bound. For the time being, the answers no but long term absolutely. Adrian Broner? Should Broner want to make a jump in weight, Amir Khan would be a great fit. It would attract both parties in my opinion as stepping stone for Broner and act as a big fight for Khan that he craves. Miguel Cotto? Khan has already stated he wants this fight in the past, which could be saying something as it appears every man and his dog is on Khan’s wish list. It’s a matter of if it would be an attractive enough fight with Khan v Canelo fetching 600,000 PPV buys and Cotto v Canelo grabbing 900,000 buys, it’s definitely debatable. Keith Thurman? Amir has been challenging Thurman for a fight for a while, with his argument it will be a bigger fight than what he was currently being offered. A lot of fans would like to see the fight and this one I feel has a little more substance than a few others mentioned.
Summary: For a man that is claimed to be past it, overrated and glass-chinned, he’s still linked with the big fights. It is always easy for the fans to forget the success of a man but incredibly easy to remember the low and I think Amir Khan is experiencing this heavily. Whoever he fights, I am sure there will be a lot of people just glad he’s back in the ring.