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AMIR Khan flew out to the United States yesterday for a date with his all-time hero Muhammad Ali.
The 19-year-old Bolton boxing sensation will come face to face with the heavyweight legend, whose picture he has had on his wall since he was a child, at Ali's home in Louisville, Kentucky.
The visit is part of a week-long fact finding tour which will see Amir visit some of the top gyms in the USA in preparation for future fights in America.
Amir said: "Muhammad Ali has always been my hero. No-one has done more for the sport or done more outside the sport. I have a poster hanging on my bedroom wall with Ali looking down at Sonny Liston on the canvas, beckoning him to get up. It has given me inspiration for years.
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"I watched the Rumble in the Jungle (Ali's fight against George Foreman) on video recently and it was amazing how Ali adapted so fast to the conditions. After the first few rounds it did not look possible that he could win.
"George Foreman had been knocking everyone out and was incredibly powerful. But Ali found a way to win by leaning on the ropes and taking shots to the body to wear his opponent out. He had incredible boxing intelligence."
Khan's business manager Asif Vali said: "As well as the Ali visit we will be looking at gyms in New York and California and Amir may have a couple of sparring sessions."
Included in the teenager's itinerary is a visit to New York's famous Gleason's Gym, home to a string of world champions including Ali, Rocky Graziano, and Roberto Duran Amir will also be a guest at the final of the ITV4 series "The Contender" - a competitive search for the next boxing superstar - and hopes to fit in a flying visit to Las Vegas to meet the undefeated world middleweight champion Floyd Mayweather. In addition, he is to visit Reebok's head office, one of his sponsors, in Boston.
Khan's exhausting schedule follows a week-long pilgrimage with his mother and younger brother to Mecca.
"I am really looking forward to talking to Ali about my trip to Saudi Arabia," Khan said. "It was an amazing experience."
http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/news/loc...is_hero_ali.php
The 19-year-old Bolton boxing sensation will come face to face with the heavyweight legend, whose picture he has had on his wall since he was a child, at Ali's home in Louisville, Kentucky.
The visit is part of a week-long fact finding tour which will see Amir visit some of the top gyms in the USA in preparation for future fights in America.
Amir said: "Muhammad Ali has always been my hero. No-one has done more for the sport or done more outside the sport. I have a poster hanging on my bedroom wall with Ali looking down at Sonny Liston on the canvas, beckoning him to get up. It has given me inspiration for years.
continued...
"I watched the Rumble in the Jungle (Ali's fight against George Foreman) on video recently and it was amazing how Ali adapted so fast to the conditions. After the first few rounds it did not look possible that he could win.
"George Foreman had been knocking everyone out and was incredibly powerful. But Ali found a way to win by leaning on the ropes and taking shots to the body to wear his opponent out. He had incredible boxing intelligence."
Khan's business manager Asif Vali said: "As well as the Ali visit we will be looking at gyms in New York and California and Amir may have a couple of sparring sessions."
Included in the teenager's itinerary is a visit to New York's famous Gleason's Gym, home to a string of world champions including Ali, Rocky Graziano, and Roberto Duran Amir will also be a guest at the final of the ITV4 series "The Contender" - a competitive search for the next boxing superstar - and hopes to fit in a flying visit to Las Vegas to meet the undefeated world middleweight champion Floyd Mayweather. In addition, he is to visit Reebok's head office, one of his sponsors, in Boston.
Khan's exhausting schedule follows a week-long pilgrimage with his mother and younger brother to Mecca.
"I am really looking forward to talking to Ali about my trip to Saudi Arabia," Khan said. "It was an amazing experience."
http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/news/loc...is_hero_ali.php
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