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 Rankโs Bob Arum for instance considers Crawford โcertainly the best welterweight that Iโve seen since Sugar Ray Leonardโ.
Khanโs British rival Kell Brook will have to wait. โYou canโt knock him [Khan], heโs taking on one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world today,โ Matchroomโs Frank Smith said. โItโs a very tough fight for Amir but heโs never shied away from huge fights.โ
โIf I take it lightly Iโll get hurt [but] I can win this fight,โ Khan insists. โI feel comfortable at this weight [147lbs]. Styles make fights. He has a great style. He is an unorthodox fighter but I think heโll gel well against my style.โ
Khan will rejoin trainer Virgil Hunter, who had been unwell. โHeโs also happy with me taking this fight against Crawford. He knows itโs a dangerous fight but he knows Iโm capable of winning this fight,โ Amir said.
Crawford said, โI 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
โAmir is a great fighter. Itโs a tough fight for us,โ Crawford continued. โWeโre going to see whose style is going to be telling on fight day.
โEverybody knows Amir Khan is fast, heโs a fast puncher, heโs a great boxer. I just think my smartness and my timing and my ability to adjust is going to lead me to victory.
โWe shall see.โ