Hearn Feels Bad For Khan: He Was Basically Used As An Opponent

By Edward Chaykovsky

Promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport, who handles IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook (36-0, 25KOs), felt Amir Khan (31-4, 19KOs), made a career mistake last Saturday night.

Khan moved up by eight pounds to challenge WBC middleweight champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (47-1-1, 33KOs) at a catch-weight of 155-pounds. The HBO Pay-Per-View fight headlined the very first boxing event at the brand new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

After getting off very well and boxing on his toes for the first five rounds, Canelo landed a huge right hand that knocked Khan unconscious in the sixth.

Hearn had tried to finalize a fight between Khan and Brook for a date in June, but Khan decided to go with a bigger opportunity with Canelo.

The British superstar is now planning to drop back down to the welterweight division. Khan is still the mandatory challenger to WBC world champion Danny Garcia (32-0, 18KOs).

As far as the fans in the UK, they are still calling on Hearn to make a domestic blockbuster between Brook and Khan.

"I've had lots of calls from the media regarding Brook v Khan," Hearn told Sky Sports. "It may surprise you, but I don't feel it's respectful to talk about that fight right now and, although it's there, let's give Amir time to get over Saturday - plus we have our own big fight to make in the summer.

"Saturday wasn't pleasant to watch and honestly, if he was my fighter, the last thing I would be thinking about right now is to put him in with a puncher like Kell after a knockout like that. Saturday night went down how most expected. Amir would start well then get knocked out. I feel for him because basically he was used as an opponent in the fight.

"I appreciate he wanted a high-profile fight but, having just moved to 147lbs, how can you go into a fight at middleweight with no rehydration clause? I believe Canelo would have been close to 175lbs in the ring and Amir closer to 160lbs. You could see in the clinches he was being thrown around like a rag doll. It's all very well saying he 'dared to be great', but do you have any idea how dangerous a knockout like that is to an individual and his career? He has been knocked out at lightweight, light-welterweight and now devastatingly at middleweight."