By Mark Vester
WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan has vowed to punish Paulie Malignaggi for his comments on the Boxing Truth Audio show. As previously reported weeks ago on BoxingScene.com, Malignaggi, who suspects Manny Pacquiao of using performance enhancing drugs, had similiar thoughts about Khan because he uses the same training team as the Filipino champion.
"Khan is in the same stable [as Pacquaio] ... I'm not saying he's dirty and he's probably not. It's just, it's going to cross my mind for the simple reason that he's got the same team around him," Malignaggi said.
Khan does not want an apology. He wants to make Malignaggi pay inside the ring with punishment. They fight on May 15 at the WaMu Theater in New York. Khan is upset over the claims being made on fighters who train with Freddie Roach and conditioning guru Alex Ariza.
"I train with Manny and whatever he does I do," said Khan. "I keep up with him and everything he does, I do as much or more. Does that mean I'm on drugs? To talk about drugs is rubbish. The guy just wants to build publicity for himself."
"You've got Freddie Roach and Alex Ariza, who spend so much time working on the fighters and then you've got people turning round saying we are on drugs. Any time they want to do a drugs test on me I'll put my hand up to prove to them [I am not on drugs]. I've never taken anything. I'm a natural athlete – like Manny Pacquiao.
"I don't want him to say sorry to me because I'll make him feel sorry when I'm in the ring with him on 15 May. He's trying to get under my skin, that's the way a lot of these American fighters are. But it takes a lot to get under my skin. If he wants to trash talk, he can trash talk, there is only going to be me and him in the ring."
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