Former world champion Amir Khan (31-4, 19 KOs) has been out of the ring since May of 2016, when he moved up to a catch-weight of 155-pounds and was brutally knocked out in the sixth round by then WBC middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
Khan then underwent hand surgery to correct an old injury and that kept him on the shelf for the remainder of the year.
Earlier this year, he was in talks to fight Kell Brook, but their negotiations never got too far. And then he was scheduled to fight Manny Pacquiao on a date in April in UAE - but the fight fell through when the investors were unable to come up with promised funds to stage the event.
Currently, Khan is taking part in a popular reality show that is being filmed in a jungle in Australia.
His close friend, Manchester legend Ricky Hatton, is hoping the Bolton boxer will return to the ring sooner than later.
He believes Khan is spending too much time away from the ring and the longer he stays away the harder it's going to be for a successful return.
Hatton knows the realities himself. He retired after being brutally knocked out by Manny Pacquiao in 2009. He staged a comeback over three years later, in November of 2012, and was knocked out by Vyacheslav Senchenko and went right back into retirement.
"The longer Amir is out of action, the harder it will become and I think he is running out of time," said Hatton, per The Sun.
"I'd love to see him back, there's a few miles left on his clock and he could finish on a massive high - but that clock is ticking.
"I get the impression looking at him on TV that even though he will be out of the ring for two years, there's no reason he can't do it - but the question is does he want to?
"It's extremely difficult mentally to get back to the shape you need to fight after so long. The more regularly you box, the easier it is to control your nerves.
"But the longer you are out the more questions you ask yourself: 'Have I still got it? Do I have to go through all the rubbish with training camps again?'"
