British superstar Amir Khan is hoping to secure the biggest victory of his long career, when he attempts to unseat a boxer that many recognize as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in boxing.
Khan will challenge undefeated WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford on April 20th at Madison Square Garden in New York City. ESPN Pay-Per-View will carry the contest.
“I have been fighting for many years and I need this kind of contest to lift me,” Khan told The Guardian. “It’s a fight to keep me in the sport, to give me the love for it. I believe I can win but everyone thinks all the odds are against me. He’s unbeaten but this is what I need. This is a fight that can make me a world champion again and I feel that God has given me this chance. Beating Crawford will transform my career. You need these fights which make you a little nervous.”
Crawford, a three division world champion, is a massive favorite to defeat the 2004 Olympic silver medal winner.
Khan has won two fights in a row, since suffering a brutal sixth round knockout at the hands of then WBC middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in May of 2016.
For that bout, Khan moved up to a catch-weight of 155-pounds.
Khan did very well in the early rounds, but he was eventually caught by a huge shot that knocked him out cold in the sixth.
“Canelo was very big, very heavy,” Khan said.
“Boxing-wise I did really well against him. He just had power and, you know, Canelo is very smart. He’s a lot quicker than you think. He went to my body which made me drop my hands and then he came over the top with a right hand. He put everything into it. But I stood there and paused. It was as if I was waiting for that shot to land. So now I have to deny my opponent the opportunity to catch me cold. I should move my feet all the time.”