By Carlos Boogs
As previously reported, former world champion Amir Khan (31-4, 19KOs) is planning to fight three times in 2017. He only saw action once in 2016.
The British fighter was last seen in May, when he moved up by eight pounds to challenge then WBC middleweight champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez at a catch-weight of 155-pounds. Khan started off fast and some had him ahead when the end came in the sixth round. One massive shot put Khan down and out for the count.
It appears Khan will be taking the rest of the year off and has no plans to fight until January of 2017. He wants to have quick comeback fight at the start of next year and then a major fight in the month of May.
Khan is still the mandatory challenger to WBC welterweight champion Danny Garcia. The fight has to happen by next year. Garcia is reportedly going to take a voluntary fight in October, with Andre Berto being listed as the frontrunner. Khan and Berto are gym-mates and share the same trainer in Virgil Hunter.
Garcia upset Khan with a fourth round knockout in 2012 when they were both junior welterweight champions. Khan has been pushing to get Garcia in the ring for a second time, but the Philadelphia fighter has expressed very little interest in facing Khan for a second time.
“I want my next fight to be in Britain. I know it’s going to have to be a tune-up having lost the Canelo fight and also having had the hand surgery. But that’s why I then want to fight again in May — it has to be a big fight in May," Khan told The Sun.
“I want the Garcia fight. I’m the mandatory challenger for Garcia’s WBC title and I would like to take that fight. I’ll get the tune-up out of the way and then I want to look for the big names. As I say, I’m Garcia’s mandatory so maybe that could happen in May. I really believe that fight could be a big PPV in America because of the history.”