Khan Stands His Ground: Never Rejected Bradley Clash

By Rick Reeno

Amir Khan (30-3, 19KOs) is standing his ground. A few days ago, multiple outlets reported that the British star rejected the opportunity to face Timothy Bradley in an IBF final eliminator for a mandatory crack at welterweight champion Kell Brook.

Khan reached out to BoxingScene.com to dispute the information , stating that he was never advised of a final eliminator against Bradley.

"There is supposed to be an eliminator that I turned down with Bradley. That's b*ll*cks. I have not been approached. I can not believe when I heard that. They tried to put me down by saying that I was offered Bradley in an eliminator and I turned it down so now they are going to put someone else in like Frankie Gavin. That's b*ll*cks again because I had nothing offered to me," Khan said.

But then the IBF stated that "Khan's team" was notified of the eliminator and rejected it, while Bradley accepted.

“Amir Khan’s people turned down the fight. Bradley accepted,” IBF Championships Chairman Lindsey Tucker told BoxingScene.

When contacted by BoxingScene on Monday, Khan maintained that he has no clue as to what the IBF is talking about.

"I have no idea [what the IBF is talking about]. And it's something that I've never done. I don't avoid fighters who have proven themselves," Khan stated to BoxingScene.

There is the possibility that someone on Khan's team was notified about the eliminator, rejected it, and never advised Khan.

However, during our conversation Khan did point out that while he's certainly open to facing Bradley - he sees no reason to pay the IBF a sanctioning fee for a final eliminator - because he already has a multi-million dollar offer on the table to face the reigning champion, Brook. The champion's promoter Eddie Hearn has an offer, and venue, ready to go on June 13th.

Khan is scheduled to return to the ring in late May and is unable to face Brook in June due to Ramadan - but he's willing to explore a later date. A fight with Bradley is almost sure to get hexed for the same reasons. Khan's late-May return is likely to land on a Premier Boxing Champions card, while Bradley is returning on an HBO televised date in June.