Amir Khan is a British skilled boxer who has turn into one of the crucial recognizable faces within the sport over the previous decade. He’s made huge information along with his doping ban, however ought to that bitter his legacy? He has gained a number of world championships in two completely different weight courses and has turn into a family identify not solely within the UK, however around the globe. On this article, we’ll take a better take a look at Amir Khan’s life, profession, and accomplishments.
Amir Khan: Profession and Legacy
Early Life and Profession
Amir Khan was born on December eighth, 1986, in Bolton, England. His mother and father have been initially from Pakistan, they usually moved to the UK within the Seventies. Khan grew up in Bolton and started boxing at a younger age, impressed by his father’s love for the game. His father, Shajaad Khan, was a former newbie boxer who skilled Amir from the age of eight.
Khan shortly proved to be a prodigious expertise within the ring, successful quite a few nationwide and worldwide tournaments as a junior boxer. He represented England on the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, on the age of simply 17, and have become Britain’s youngest Olympic boxing medalist ever, successful a silver medal within the light-weight division.
Amir Khan’s Skilled Profession
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter the Olympics, Amir turned skilled and signed with famend boxing promoter Frank Warren. He made his professional debut in July 2005 and gained his first 18 fights in a row, turning into one of the crucial promising younger fighters within the sport.
In 2008, Khan suffered his first skilled loss, a 54-second knockout defeat to Breidis Prescott. The loss was a setback for Khan, however he bounced again by successful his subsequent six fights, together with a victory over Marco Antonio Barrera in 2009, which established him as a significant drive within the sport.
In 2011, Khan gained the WBA (Tremendous) light-welterweight title with a controversial choice victory over American boxer, Lamont Peterson. Nonetheless, he misplaced the title in his very subsequent combat towards Danny Garcia in July 2012.Embed from Getty Photographs
Khan took a while off from boxing after the Garcia combat and returned to the ring in 2014 with a win over Luis Collazo. He then defeated Devon Alexander in December 2014 to win the WBC silver welterweight title.
In 2015, Khan confronted the undefeated American boxer, Chris Algieri, and gained a unanimous choice victory. Later that yr, he challenged the then WBC middleweight champion, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, in a combat that many noticed as a mismatch as a result of dimension distinction between the 2 fighters. Though Khan put up a valiant effort, he was knocked out within the sixth spherical, and his nook threw within the towel.
In 2016, Khan moved again all the way down to welterweight and defeated Sammy Vargas. He then confronted off towards Phil Lo Greco in April 2018, successful the combat in simply 39 seconds. Nonetheless, he suffered a shock defeat to the unheralded Colombian boxer, Samuel Vargas, later that yr.
In 2019, Khan confronted off towards WBO welterweight champion, Terence Crawford. The combat led to a technical knockout victory for Crawford within the sixth spherical, and it was extensively criticized for being stopped prematurely.
Amir Khan retired from boxing in July 2020, after a profession that spanned 15 years, 39 fights, and 34 wins.
Amir Khan’s Accomplishments
Olympic Silver Medalist
Embed from Getty ImagesIn 2004, on the age of simply 17, Amir Khan represented Nice Britain on the Athens Olympics. He competed within the light-weight division and made a shocking run to the ultimate, successful 4 bouts in a row. Within the ultimate, he confronted off towards Cuban boxer Mario Kindelan, who was a two-time Olympic gold medalist and the most effective boxers on the planet on the time.
Regardless of dropping the ultimate to Kindelan, Khan’s efficiency was spectacular, and he gained a silver medal. His success on the Olympics made him a family identify within the UK and set the stage for his skilled profession.
Amir Khan as a World Champion in Two Weight Courses
Amir Khan turned skilled in 2005 and gained his first 18 fights in a row. He shortly established himself as one of the crucial promising younger boxers within the sport, and in 2009, he gained his first world championship, the WBA (Tremendous) light-welterweight title, with a victory over Andreas Kotelnik.
He efficiently defended his title towards Dmitry Salita, Paulie Malignaggi, and Marcos Maidana earlier than dropping it to Lamont Peterson in a controversial choice in 2011. Nonetheless, he regained the title in 2012 with a win over Danny Garcia, turning into a two-time world champion within the course of.
After dropping his title to Garcia, Amir moved as much as welterweight and gained the WBC silver welterweight title with a win over Devon Alexander in 2014. He additionally gained the WBC Worldwide welterweight title with a victory over Luis Collazo later that yr.
Combating the Greatest within the World
All through his profession, Amir Khan has by no means shied away from preventing the most effective boxers on the planet. He has confronted off towards a number of the largest names within the sport, together with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Terence Crawford, and Marcos Maidana.
In 2015, Amir challenged Alvarez for the WBC middleweight title in a combat that many noticed as a mismatch as a result of dimension distinction between the 2 fighters. Though he put up a valiant effort, Amir was knocked out within the sixth spherical, and his nook threw within the towel.
In 2019, Amir confronted off towards Terence Crawford for the WBO welterweight title. Though he was in the end stopped within the sixth spherical, his efficiency within the early rounds of the combat was spectacular, and he confirmed that he was nonetheless able to competing on the highest stage.
Amir Khan’s Legacy
Amir Khan’s accomplishments within the ring have solidified his legacy as one of many best boxers of his era. He has gained a number of world championships, represented Nice Britain on the Olympics, and confronted off towards a number of the greatest boxers on the planet.
His affect on the game extends past his accomplishments within the ring, nonetheless. He has been an advocate for boxing within the U.Ok. and has used his platform to boost consciousness about vital points, reminiscent of psychological well being.
Amir Khan will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the crucial proficient and achieved boxers within the sport’s historical past. His legacy will proceed to encourage future generations of boxers and followers alike.
