By: Hans Themistode
Amir Khan is looking squarely at his boxing mortality.
After capturing silver in the 2004 Olympics, Khan went on to accomplish a multitude of things. In 2009, Khan tasted his first world title when he defeated Andriy Kotelnik for the WBA super lightweight title. He would then become a unified champion two years later, as he stopped Zab Judah to lift his IBF world title.
Despite the long list of great fighters Khan has faced, including Judah, Marcos Maidana, Lamont Peterson, Canelo Alvarez, and Terence Crawford, Khan has continued to hear nonstop questions surrounding a showdown between himself and fellow British countrymen, Kell Brook.
Although the two have failed to negotiate contract terms for the better part of five years, Khan revealed that they are finally making progress in that regard. Considering everything he’s already accomplished, Khan believes that a matchup against Brook would be the cherry on top of his boxing sundae.
“We are in talks,” said Khan during a self-recorded video. “I want to put that guy in his place. Beat him and call it a day from the professional ranks.”
At one point, when both Khan and Brook were at the top of their respective games, a showdown between the pair appeared mouth-watering. Now, with both fighters in their mid-30s and having suffered numerous knockout losses over the years, their high-profile matchup has lost a bit of its sizzle.
Those sentiments, however, are not shared by Khan. Even now, with both fighters clearly past their prime, Khan believes that a showdown between them is as good as it gets.
“The biggest fight out there in the UK is myself vs. Kell Brook.”
On numerous occasions, it appeared as though Khan and Brook were on the verge of signing a deal to face one another. Yet, once fans began expecting a fight announcement, they were left apoplectic as negotiations would seemingly always fall through.
Most recently, Khan appeared on the brink of inking a contract to take on his long-time rival in 2019. Instead, the now 34-year-old opted to take on pound for pound star Terence Crawford, where he was brutally stopped in the sixth round.
Since then, Khan has bounced back, stopping Billy Dib in the fourth round who attempted to move up three weight classes. As for Brook, much like Khan, he was also stopped in devastating fashion by Crawford in November of 2020. Brook has remained on the sidelines since the defeat.