By Victor Salazar
British superstar Amir Khan (31-3, 19KOs) says he’s available for a September fight with WBC/WBA welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. If chosen by Mayweather, Amir Khan’s trainer Virgil Hunter, feels that the only way someone can beat Mayweather is due to youth vs. old age.
“It’s a fight that he has to be real diligent about,” Hunter said of Khan’s chances. “He’s going to have to do what a young buck can do, get in over his head, and take it to another level. His IQ will never match Floyd Mayweather’s IQ. You have to offset that with youth.”
If the Mayweather fight doesn’t materialize, the question was posed to Hunter about Khan about facing a welterweight with power like a Keith Thurman, who holds the WBA's interim-welterweight title. Hunter feels that fight can happen down the line but it’s not in the immediate future.
“Styles make matches,” Hunter explained. “I know Keith is a very vocal young man and confident in his ability. When Keith steps up a little bit himself, you won’t see the knockouts as much. There’s things I know about Keith Thurman that I say he better watch his chin too. At some point, it will materialize one day. It’s not going to be easy as Keith Thurman thinks it is.”