Schaefer: Amir Khan Could Fight in America in December

By Lem Satterfield

The ring return of Amir Khan (23-1, 17KOs) has a lot factors involved. Khan is set to make the third defense of his WBA junior welterweight title on December 11. Other than the actual date, nothing about his next ring appearance is set in stone, including where the fight takes place.

Khan made his American debut in May at Madison Square Garden's WaMu Theatre in New York. He stopped former champion Paulie Malignaggi in the eleventh round. Khan would like to stage his next fight in England.

According to Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, Khan could very well fight again in the United States in December. Both sides of the ocean are important to Khan's career. The 23-year-old British fighter must stay connected with his loyal following by continuing to fight in the UK, but at the same time he needs to fight on a regular basis in the United States to further build his name with the American fans.

HBO and Sky Sports in England have already reserved the date of December 11 for Khan's next fight.

"That date is correct. I've talked to Sky Sports Cable in England, and I spoke to HBO, and both of them are holding that date. We just need to see now who he would fight and where he would fight, because I think that it is important for Amir to show continuity in the United States, and not just to do one fight," Schaefer said.

"At the same time, it's equally, if not more important to not neglect his own fans at home in England, and to continue to have a regular presence for his fights in England as well. So we are going to be carefully looking at the two options, whether it's going to be a fight from the United Kingdom or whether it's going to be a fight coming from the U.S."

The potential opponents include WBA interim champion Marcos Maidana (28-1, 27 KOs), and the winner of the July 31 rematch between WBO/WBA lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs) and challenger Juan Diaz (35-3, 17 KOs). Khan plans to be in Las Vegas to attend the Marquez-Diaz rematch. The opponent won't be finalized until August at the earliest.

"We'll discuss with them a little bit more after July 31," said Schaefer. "As you know, Amir Khan is going to be ringside there at the Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz fight, and he is going to closely watch the card and we'll take it from there."

Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor at AOL FanHouse and the news editor at BoxingScene.com. To read more from Lem Satterfield, go to AOL FanHouse by Clicking Here.