By: Hans Themistode
It’s been a long time since Amir Khan has been seen inside a boxing ring, two years come July to be exact. Although his most recent appearance came in a winning effort against Billy Dib, the brutal sixth-round stoppage defeat at the hands of Terence Crawford three months prior still reverberates in the mind of most boxing fans.
Khan, 34, was dropped and dominated before an apparent low blow brought an end to their showdown prematurely. Following the loss, Khan pondered retirement. But, after having plenty of time to think, the former 140-pound champion doesn’t believe he’s ready to hang up his gloves just yet. In fact, if the British native has it his way, he’ll be facing off with the one name most of the boxing world has wanted to fight for years now.
“I want one more dance,” said Khan during an interview with IFL TV. “Kell Brook is the one that was calling me out all this time and now, we’re coming to a stage where I’ve said, let’s make it happen. It’s funny because Kell Brook isn’t really responding.”
At one point in time, a Kell Brook vs Amir Khan showdown was considered one of the preeminent bouts that could be made. With Brook (39-3, 27 KOs) holding the IBF title from 2014-2017 and Khan (34-5, 21 KOs) amongst the divisions best during that time span, neither side appeared in a rush to make their showdown a reality.
However, with Khan staring his boxing mortality directly in the face and with Brook coming off a fourth-round stoppage defeat at the hands of Terence Crawford, Khan believes the time is finally right. The former Olympic Silver medalist does admit that their best days are long behind them, but still, he firmly believes that it’s a blockbuster-level fight.
“It’s still a big British fight. People will still want to tune in. I know we’re past the prime of our careers but it’s still a fight people would like to see.”
In the mind of Khan, it doesn’t matter if the pair fought in their primes, at the backend of their careers, or at the senior center, the result was always going to be the same.
“He’s very confident and I’m very confident but I don’t see it going past six rounds. I think under six rounds I’ll get a stoppage.”