By Mark Vester
WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan may follow in the footsteps of his countryman Audley Harrison by leaving Britain and making a permanent move to America. During a recent interview, Harrison claimed to have left the UK because the boxing media and the fans were so negative that he found it impossible to continue his career in the country.
Now it is Khan who claims the media - and jealous, bitter fans and boxers - will not leave him alone. He says two of the fighters who won't get off his back are John Murray and WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch. Both fighters have been critical of Khan in several interviews.
"It’s getting tougher and tougher living here now. I love the British public and it would be very hard for me to leave them. But my career comes first and and if I think it’s the right move to make, I’ll follow my career," Khan said the UK's Daily Mail.
Khan trains on a regular basis in Los Angeles, California at the Wild Card Gym, which is owned by Khan's trainer Freddie Roach. He says the American fans and reporters show him a lot more respect and support.
"The difference in LA is that people appreciate what you achieve. In England I don’t really see that. I see a lot of bitterness. It’s a mixture of everything. Random people in the streets, everywhere, whereas in America I haven’t come across any hate," Khan said.
"I’ve worked hard from day one to win in the amateurs then to go to the Olympics, turn professional, win the Commonwealth title and go on to bigger and better things. It’s taken a long time and a lot of hard work. People think it’s easy. They don’t see me waking up at 5am to go running, doing my steps, doing the work. They don’t see the injuries, the aches and pains, the hard side of it. They see the easy side of it, when you relax and chill. You buy a nice car, live in a nice house and have a lot of money. That’s the reason that in England there’s a lot of bitterness."
Khan says the fame and the money he achieved is the reason why Froch is so negative and bitter.
"That’s the reason Froch doesn’t like me. I’ve never spoken out or spoken bad about him. Murray, even though we’re in totally different weight categories, he’s still saying this and that. At the end of a day I’m a fighter, and in British boxing there’s a lot of jealousy. Froch is a bitter person but I like to keep people happy," Khan said.
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