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The trainer of Andre Ward had this to say
“Leave the kid alone,” the American said protectively yesterday, “and watch him flourish under me.”
Hunter, voted trainer of the year in the United States in 2012, rounded on Khan’s detractors. “I don’t want that misconception of Amir Khan. It’s a misconception that because he's a former Olympic medallist, he is over-promoted. He has had the toughest road to go down, especially because he’s successful.”
“Amir’s a tough, tough kid, and he made it. He made it at 17. I think we have to acknowledge that toughness and durability and so I don’t think that misconception should be tossed around lightly. He’s a tough, tough kid.”
“Coming through the amateurs is a very difficult, gruelling process. Other fighters fall by the wayside because they are not strong enough. The second misconception is that they are spoon fed. To get to the point where he is you have to be strong, you have to be durable, and focused. Nobody gave him that [Olympic] silver medal.”
“He earned that silver medal. Nobody appointed him to the Olympic team. He made it to that Olympic team. Out of sheer determination and with the same guts and attributes, he has become a world champion.”
The same has been said – wrongly, insisted Hunter – of Andre Ward, the world’s leading super-middleweight. “They say the same with Andrew Ward – that he’s got the gold medal a silver spoon in his mouth. No - he hasn’t.”
Hunter scoffed, moreover, at the notion that Khan’s next opponent - Julio Diaz - scheduled for April 27 in Sheffield, was a pushover.
“We are talking about a guy who is a two-time world champion. We are not talking about a nobody. He is gifted and from a fighting family. This is not a gimme fight. I can’t understand all of a sudden why Julio Diaz is being minimized. He’s a former world champion, he knows how to fight.”
Khan arrived in camp in Oakland last week. “He will come prepared. We cannot make any mistakes and this is all about moving forward," said Khan of his foe.
“It’s great to be home – in front of the home fans. I normally fight in US in their home cities, and it’s only going to give me that extra edge, and make me train harder. I’ve missed fighting in the UK.”
Khan’s contest against Diaz, a 12-round not title fight, marks his return to the UK for the first time in two years. A television deal for the contest is yet to be announced.
Khan added: “I’ve been here just over a week, but I came into camp half fit. We’ve been smarter outside training camp, keeping me ticking over. I feel the benefits now. It used to take me two or three weeks in camp just to get into it.”
“I’m not a complete fighter, I still make a lot of mistakes. Virgil shouts at me, makes me look at my game plan and stay focused. I was more focused, more disciplined in my last fight. But this will be a tough fight, too.”
“Diaz is coming down from 147lbs and meeting me halfway [At a catchweight of 143lbs]. It was hard to get opponents. He must see something in my style which he thinks he can beat. He has a lot of experience. I remember watching his fight against Shawn Porter, who is a great fighter, and I thought he beat him.”
Khan still wants to avenge two losses at light-welterweight, “There are two fights I still want at 140 – Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson. That’s why I’m at catchweight for this fight. I don’t want to move up to welterweight yet. It will be hard to come back down.”
Peterson had refused to come to the UK, Asif Vali, Khan’s manager disclosed. Vyacheslav Senchenko had a contract, and the goalposts changed, claimed Vali. “We spent too much time on that one,” he said.
What is clear, though, is that Khan is thriving under Hunter. “Virgil is always shouting at you, making sure you don’t make mistakes. I believe you do need a trainer who needs to shout at you. Sometimes it’s a good way of being taught told the proper way. That’s the way I’ve learnt, being told off, and I’ve won numerous world titles as an amateur and professional.”
Hunter wanted to correct Khan. “I’m not a shouter; I’m a teacher. The physical tools were always there. It’s just a matter of him knowing what to do with them. My task to bring out the right tools at the right time. I’m impressed with him, and mentally he is growing up. It’s a pleasure to see in camp.”
Diaz, meanwhile, who held the IBF title at lightweight, is taking this opportunity to prove his pedigree at the top level once more, at the age of 33. “I took a year off. This is the reason I came back, for a fight like this. I want to make a statement. This is a critical fight for Amir Khan as well as myself. A loss for him would be devastating. I will be giving my all.”
“Khan has been treated like a superstar, I haven’t. I’ve come up the hard way. I wasn’t the first choice, I was a last resort, but it just makes me work harder.”
Tickets for Amir Khan vs Julio Diaz can purchased from www.motorpointarenasheffield.co.uk or by calling 0114 256 5656.
“Leave the kid alone,” the American said protectively yesterday, “and watch him flourish under me.”
Hunter, voted trainer of the year in the United States in 2012, rounded on Khan’s detractors. “I don’t want that misconception of Amir Khan. It’s a misconception that because he's a former Olympic medallist, he is over-promoted. He has had the toughest road to go down, especially because he’s successful.”
“Amir’s a tough, tough kid, and he made it. He made it at 17. I think we have to acknowledge that toughness and durability and so I don’t think that misconception should be tossed around lightly. He’s a tough, tough kid.”
“Coming through the amateurs is a very difficult, gruelling process. Other fighters fall by the wayside because they are not strong enough. The second misconception is that they are spoon fed. To get to the point where he is you have to be strong, you have to be durable, and focused. Nobody gave him that [Olympic] silver medal.”
“He earned that silver medal. Nobody appointed him to the Olympic team. He made it to that Olympic team. Out of sheer determination and with the same guts and attributes, he has become a world champion.”
The same has been said – wrongly, insisted Hunter – of Andre Ward, the world’s leading super-middleweight. “They say the same with Andrew Ward – that he’s got the gold medal a silver spoon in his mouth. No - he hasn’t.”
Hunter scoffed, moreover, at the notion that Khan’s next opponent - Julio Diaz - scheduled for April 27 in Sheffield, was a pushover.
“We are talking about a guy who is a two-time world champion. We are not talking about a nobody. He is gifted and from a fighting family. This is not a gimme fight. I can’t understand all of a sudden why Julio Diaz is being minimized. He’s a former world champion, he knows how to fight.”
Khan arrived in camp in Oakland last week. “He will come prepared. We cannot make any mistakes and this is all about moving forward," said Khan of his foe.
“It’s great to be home – in front of the home fans. I normally fight in US in their home cities, and it’s only going to give me that extra edge, and make me train harder. I’ve missed fighting in the UK.”
Khan’s contest against Diaz, a 12-round not title fight, marks his return to the UK for the first time in two years. A television deal for the contest is yet to be announced.
Khan added: “I’ve been here just over a week, but I came into camp half fit. We’ve been smarter outside training camp, keeping me ticking over. I feel the benefits now. It used to take me two or three weeks in camp just to get into it.”
“I’m not a complete fighter, I still make a lot of mistakes. Virgil shouts at me, makes me look at my game plan and stay focused. I was more focused, more disciplined in my last fight. But this will be a tough fight, too.”
“Diaz is coming down from 147lbs and meeting me halfway [At a catchweight of 143lbs]. It was hard to get opponents. He must see something in my style which he thinks he can beat. He has a lot of experience. I remember watching his fight against Shawn Porter, who is a great fighter, and I thought he beat him.”
Khan still wants to avenge two losses at light-welterweight, “There are two fights I still want at 140 – Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson. That’s why I’m at catchweight for this fight. I don’t want to move up to welterweight yet. It will be hard to come back down.”
Peterson had refused to come to the UK, Asif Vali, Khan’s manager disclosed. Vyacheslav Senchenko had a contract, and the goalposts changed, claimed Vali. “We spent too much time on that one,” he said.
What is clear, though, is that Khan is thriving under Hunter. “Virgil is always shouting at you, making sure you don’t make mistakes. I believe you do need a trainer who needs to shout at you. Sometimes it’s a good way of being taught told the proper way. That’s the way I’ve learnt, being told off, and I’ve won numerous world titles as an amateur and professional.”
Hunter wanted to correct Khan. “I’m not a shouter; I’m a teacher. The physical tools were always there. It’s just a matter of him knowing what to do with them. My task to bring out the right tools at the right time. I’m impressed with him, and mentally he is growing up. It’s a pleasure to see in camp.”
Diaz, meanwhile, who held the IBF title at lightweight, is taking this opportunity to prove his pedigree at the top level once more, at the age of 33. “I took a year off. This is the reason I came back, for a fight like this. I want to make a statement. This is a critical fight for Amir Khan as well as myself. A loss for him would be devastating. I will be giving my all.”
“Khan has been treated like a superstar, I haven’t. I’ve come up the hard way. I wasn’t the first choice, I was a last resort, but it just makes me work harder.”
Tickets for Amir Khan vs Julio Diaz can purchased from www.motorpointarenasheffield.co.uk or by calling 0114 256 5656.
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