No title at stake, but Amir Khan knows importance of Kell Brook fight
‘This is like a world-title fight for me,’ said the Bolton-born fighter on the eve of the Manchester clash
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Your support makes all the difference.Amir Khan has likened his eagerly-awaited bout against nemesis Kell Brook to a world-title fight after the pair came in under the contracted 149lbs limit at Friday’s weigh-in.
Only bragging rights are at stake for the two former world champions, both 35, and while the suspicion is they are both past their prime, tickets for Saturday’s event at Manchester’s AO Arena sold out in just 10 minutes.
The fans’ enthusiasm underlines the magnitude of a fight that has been years in the making, with Brook long coveting a meeting inside the ring against his British rival, only to be repeatedly turned down until recently.
But Khan (34-5, 21 knockouts) recognises what is at stake this weekend, believing victory over his bitter foe would enhance how he is viewed in the years to come, even if he insisted this is not a farewell occasion.
Khan told the PA news agency: “It’s a must-win fight, for sure. Every fight is like a must-win fight, but this one is absolutely a must-win fight because this is what is going to cement my legacy.
“This is like a world-title fight for me.”
A teenaged Khan won Olympic silver in 2004 and went on to unify the light-welterweight division while he has fought at some of boxing’s grandest venues, including Madison Square Garden in New York and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
While his career has seemed to be winding down recently – he has not fought since beating lightly-regarded Billy Dib in July 2019 – Khan has suggested his contest against Brook will not be his final act in a boxing ring.
He added: “When I’m in training retiring is not to be talked about. I know one day I will be calling it a day, but at this moment in time I feel good, and I don’t want to.
“I feel like I’ve got one or two fights left in me after this. Let’s see how this fight goes. When the next fight goes well, let’s take it from there.”
Khan hit the scales at 147.5lbs at Friday’s weigh-in, with Brook (39-3, 27 KOs) one pound heavier but still under the agreed catchweight.
The former IBF welterweight champion, who has admitted struggling to make weight in the past, hinted in the build-up he could could come in deliberately heavy to give himself a tactical, if underhand, edge over Khan.
Such a strategy would have come with a hefty financial penalty as for every pound either Brook or Khan came in overweight, they would have had to have paid their opponent £100,000 – but such an eventuality did not occur.
The pair, who were pulled apart at the fight announcement in November and had several tense and inflammatory exchanges at Thursday’s final press conference, seemed to be verbally sparring when they went head-to-head.
However, security were on hand to keep them apart in front of several hundred spectators who came to Manchester’s Exchange Hall to witness the weigh-in. Many in attendance were cheering for Bolton-born Khan on his home turf although Yorkshire’s Brook had pockets of support.