AMIR KHAN has thrown his name in the hat to be boxing’s next pound-for-pound superstar. With recent rave reviews greeting performances from the likes of Terence Crawford, Gennady Golovkin, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Roman Gonzalez, Khan – inactive since December but preparing for Chris Algieri on May 29 – feels he possesses qualities that allow him to stand out from the hopeful crowd.
“The excitement, that’s what people want to see, and good, tough fights,” the Bolton man affirms to Boxing News. “Speed, explosivity, they want to see everything in one fighter and that’s what Amir Khan has, I think I have everything that a fighter needs to be at the top, to be pound-for-pound champion and fight the top names in boxing. I think to do that, to become pound-for-pound champion, you have to be that bit special. Mayweather had that speed, explosivity but maybe towards the end of his career he’s started to slow down a bit.”
If Khan believes he is a contender for the global pound-for-pound mantle, he must surely rate himself above his fellow Brits. While he refuses to confirm such a notion outright, he does believe a willingness to test himself in the US has helped his career, and sets him apart from his countrymen.
“To make a name for yourself in America you have to fight in America,” the 28-year-old opines. “I think that’s a mistake a couple of UK fighters have made, not coming to America. Like Joe Calzaghe, I think if he had come to America a little bit earlier in his career he would have got bigger recognition. Ricky Hatton did a good job by coming here quite early and had some good fights. I’ve been fighting over here since 2010 and I think you get all the top names – the Mexicans, the Puerto Ricans – fighting over here. Now, you got the Russians and eastern Europeans, like Gennady Golovkin, because you obviously make your name in America, become a global star; there are very few fighters who can do it here.”
