By Mark Vester
Freddie Roach, trainer of Amir Khan, says the talented lightweight will soon be ready to fight and beat junior welterweight Ricky Hatton. Khan on December 6 against Oisin Fagan; the first fight for Khan since being knocked out a few months ago by Breidis Prescott in 54-seconds.
Roach feels that Khan has the tools to beat someone with Hatton's style. After two more fights, if Roach likes what he sees, he will start working Khan in the direction of a clash with Hatton.
“After this first fight, we’ll have a second, for which I’ll be in his corner. After that, if I see the right things, Ricky Hatton could be soon. I like Ricky, he’s a solid fighter, but I think Amir has the ability to beat a guy with that style," Roach told The Sun.
"Amir’s definitely big enough. Without a doubt he could fight at light-welterweight and he’s maturing. Sometimes I have to remind myself that he’s only 21. He’s a kid. He’s a machine, a talented guy with a lot of ability and that’s why I’m with him.”
Khan is in the United States, training with Roach and superstar Manny Pacquiao at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California. He says the experience of training with Pacquiao will send him back to the UK with a lot of confidence.
“I’ve never had sparring like this in England, you learn so much more. Manny is very clever. He wasn’t going to let a kid beat him up. I got caught with some big shots and I caught him with a few big shots. That’s boxing and it gives you confidence if someone like Manny can hit you with a big one and you can come back at him,” Khan said.
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