Khan eyes July bout
Amir Khan insists he is ready to fight again as early as July and hopes to find out in the next 10 days if he will be doing so.
Khan made a successful defence of his WBA light-welterweight title at the weekend against New Yorker Paulie Malignaggi at Madison Square Garden, claiming an impressive 11th-round victory on what was his debut fight in the United States. Attention has already shifted to the 23-year-old's next bout, with Richard Schaefer, chief executive of Khan's promoters Golden Boy, saying he would like to get the Bolton fighter back in the ring in the UK by the end of July before a return to the USA later in the year. And Khan confirmed his approval of the plan, which will allow him to fight on home soil before the start of Ramadan in August.
Asked if he thought July might be too soon to fight again, Khan told Press Association Sport: "I think it's perfect to be honest. Freddie (Roach, Khan's trainer) is happy to do that, so we will see how it goes. First we'll have to get an opponent right, and then we can get a fight on."
He added: "I trained hard and in the (Malignaggi) fight I don't think I took much punishment. It was quite easy and I didn't take too many big shots.Being young, I think I can afford to have less of a break and jump in this fight quite soon.
"I'm looking towards the end of July because of Ramadan. I want to do my fasts and go away and do my pilgrimage this year.I want to get one (a fight) before then, so I can have a long break, relax and then maybe fight again around November or December.
"I'm looking at that at the moment, but it just depends on opponents. There are a few I'm looking at, so it's whether or not they are available to fight at that time. Hopefully, I think it will be in the next 10 days that I find out."
He added: "I'd like to have it in the UK, but I'd love to go back to the States again.Some fighters don't like fighting away from home but with me, I can fight anywhere - just put me in a boxing ring, I love fighting."
Khan is considering a range of potential opponents for his next contest, including Argentina's Marcos Maidana - who was mandatory challenger prior to the fight with Malignaggi - and Australian Michael Katsidis, who would require a move up in weight.
Date published :
19 May 2010 - 16:58:57
