By Mark Vester
UK lightweight star Amir Khan is looking to follow in the footsteps of other UK-based fighters who recently won major titles, like David Haye and Carl Froch. Khan, at age 22, is focused on achieving the task even quicker than his countrymen. Khan goes for the WBA junior welterweight on June 27 against Andreas Kotelnik at London’s O2 Arena.
“People forget that I have only been a pro boxer for four years, such a lot has happened to me. Whoever thought that within four years I would get this far? I have done it quick, it’s not been perfect. It’s gone the way it has, including that one defeat [against Breidis Prescott]. Maybe that was for the best. But those four years have gone perfectly right as far as I am concerned. The defeat happened for a reason, it changed so much for me. David Haye and Carl Froch have won world titles, but I expect to win mine even quicker than them," Khan told Daily Express.
“I am more professional now, live the life of a professional boxer. I think about everything. The biggest difference is that I fight with my brain and not my heart.”
Khan says the March win over former three-division champion Marco Antonio Barrera was the most satisfying win of his career. The Barrera win and working with new trainer Freddie Roach has him as confident as ever.
“That was the most satisfying win of my career,” Khan said, “especially when people were saying, ‘He’s taking this fight on too soon and he’ll get beat’, or ‘Why’s he taking this fight on with Barrera?’. I just love proving people – the critics – wrong. They said I’d never come back as a champion, I’d never come back the same – but I’ve come back better. So I’ve slapped it back in their face again and come back twice as good as I ever was. It’s funny because, after I got defeated, whoever knew, two fights later, I was going to fight Barrera? It was a massive gamble for us but I took the fight on. I wanted it more than anyone.
“My reputation was on the line against Barrera, it was make or break for me, and the win got me back to where I was before. Now this year I will definitely be world champion and there is nothing out there that I am worried about. So much has changed since the Prescott fight – I changed from a boy to a man.”
Khan admits that he's still learning the ropes. He doesn't himself reaching his peak until age 26. The prospect of winning a world title means more to him than anything, even more than winning his Olympic silver medal.
“Winning the world title would change my whole life. The Olympic silver medal was the biggest achievement so far, but winning the world title would be bigger.Since I was a kid I looked up to people like Muhammad Ali, Naseem Hamed and Ricky Hatton and I wanted to achieve what they did. I’m young, 22, and I can go on and win more world titles," Khan said.
“And once you win the world title other things fall into place, it’ll open doors for bigger fights in the States. I’ve only had 21 fights – when I’m about 26 you’ll see me at my peak. I know, by using my brain and with the right team behind me, I can win any fight I go into and I can hit the heights.”
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