By Mark Vester
According to several UK media outlets, UK lightweight superstar and 2004 Olympic silver medal winner Amir Khan (18-1, 14KOs) has ohired American-based trainer Freddie Roach after a weekend meeting at Roach's well-known Wild Card gym in Hollywood, California. The hire comes on the heels of the first defeat of Khan's career, a 54-second knockout that was suffered a few weeks ago when facing Colombian puncher Breidis Prescott in Manchester. Last week, Khan fired recently hired trainer Jorge Rubio. The Khan team has not confirmed the hire, but The Guardian reports that an official announcement should be made this week.
Khan returns to action on December 6 in Birmingham, the same day that Roach's star pupil Manny Pacquiao will face Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas. Roach plans to train both fighters side by side at his Wild Card gym. Khan will spend six-weeks in California to train for his December bout, and gaining some experience by training with one the true superstars in the sport, Manny Pacquiao.
“We’re going to fight in December and he’s going to train here for six weeks for that fight,” Roach told talkSPORT. “He needs a rebuilding of everything to be honest with you, because sometimes when you get knocked out like that it can be pretty devastating.
“But you need to get right back at it and not waste any time. He’s making a few fundamental mistakes and we’ll make some adjustments. He’s a very talented kid and he’s capable of making those adjustments.”
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