Terence Crawford and Amir Khan confirm world title fight

Terence Crawford

TERENCE CRAWFORD will defend his WBO welterweight title against Amir Khan on April 20.

The venue for the contest will be in New York or Las Vegas, either at Madison Square Garden or the MGM Grand, to be confirmed shortly. It will also be the first pay-per-view Top Rank will stage with broadcaster ESPN.

The UK broadcaster is still to be decided.

It is a tough ask for Amir Khan. Top Rankโ€™s Bob Arum for instance considers Crawford โ€œcertainly the best welterweight that Iโ€™ve seen since Sugar Ray Leonardโ€.

Khanโ€™s British rival Kell Brook will have to wait. โ€œYou canโ€™t knock him [Khan], heโ€™s taking on one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world today,โ€ Matchroomโ€™s Frank Smith said. โ€œItโ€™s a very tough fight for Amir but heโ€™s never shied away from huge fights.โ€

โ€œIf I take it lightly Iโ€™ll get hurt [but] I can win this fight,โ€ Khan insists. โ€œI feel comfortable at this weight [147lbs]. Styles make fights. He has a great style. He is an unorthodox fighter but I think heโ€™ll gel well against my style.โ€

Khan will rejoin trainer Virgil Hunter, who had been unwell. โ€œHeโ€™s also happy with me taking this fight against Crawford. He knows itโ€™s a dangerous fight but he knows Iโ€™m capable of winning this fight,โ€ Amir said.

Crawford said, โ€œI worked very hard to get to where I am right now, to be mentioned in those same categories with those great champions it just tells you where my career is heading.โ€

terence crawford

โ€œAmir is a great fighter. Itโ€™s a tough fight for us,โ€ Crawford continued. โ€œWeโ€™re going to see whose style is going to be telling on fight day.

โ€œEverybody knows Amir Khan is fast, heโ€™s a fast puncher, heโ€™s a great boxer. I just think my smartness and my timing and my ability to adjust is going to lead me to victory.

โ€œWe shall see.โ€

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