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By Thomas Gerbasi - It couldn’t have been easy being Amir Khan. The toast of the British sporting scene back in 2004, when he won a Silver medal in the Olympics at the age of 17, he was a mere teenager tossed into the spotlight and expected to not only be an international superstar in the ring but to act the part as well.
Amazingly, he survived.
“It was difficult,” Khan told BoxingScene. “I was only 17 at the time, but I did well. I had to stay focused, and I always had that mission of becoming a world champion and being a good professional fighter, and that just kept me going. If I said I was just happy with the medal, maybe I would have gone on the wrong path. But it wasn’t enough for me to win the Silver medal; I wanted to win more, and I had that hunger of going out there and getting more and more.”
Nearly seven years later, Khan is the WBA junior welterweight champion, on his way to the stardom in the US that he’s already achieved in his native England, and widely considered to be, if not the best, then at worst the second best 140-pounder in the world.
But it wasn’t that easy to get here. Far from it. Scrutinized for everything from his personal life to changing trainers and promoters, Khan endured a fighting apprenticeship few could relate to. Even the usual suspects fed to prospects on the way up the ranks knew that a win over Khan would change their lives and their tax brackets, leaving the Bolton native with a neon target on his back every time he stepped through the ropes.
“Everyone I fought from the first fight I had normally got six to eight weeks of notice, and they trained hard and worked hard because for them it was a massive opportunity, and people don’t realize that,” he said. “They come in the best shape ever, and I fought guys at their best because they knew that if they beat me, it would take them to a different level.” [Click Here To Read More]
Amazingly, he survived.
“It was difficult,” Khan told BoxingScene. “I was only 17 at the time, but I did well. I had to stay focused, and I always had that mission of becoming a world champion and being a good professional fighter, and that just kept me going. If I said I was just happy with the medal, maybe I would have gone on the wrong path. But it wasn’t enough for me to win the Silver medal; I wanted to win more, and I had that hunger of going out there and getting more and more.”
Nearly seven years later, Khan is the WBA junior welterweight champion, on his way to the stardom in the US that he’s already achieved in his native England, and widely considered to be, if not the best, then at worst the second best 140-pounder in the world.
But it wasn’t that easy to get here. Far from it. Scrutinized for everything from his personal life to changing trainers and promoters, Khan endured a fighting apprenticeship few could relate to. Even the usual suspects fed to prospects on the way up the ranks knew that a win over Khan would change their lives and their tax brackets, leaving the Bolton native with a neon target on his back every time he stepped through the ropes.
“Everyone I fought from the first fight I had normally got six to eight weeks of notice, and they trained hard and worked hard because for them it was a massive opportunity, and people don’t realize that,” he said. “They come in the best shape ever, and I fought guys at their best because they knew that if they beat me, it would take them to a different level.” [Click Here To Read More]
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