Khan: I’m going to be the main guy for British fans to support

By Sean McDaniel: WBA Super World light welterweight champion Amir Khan (25-1, 17 KO’s) thinks that he can become the number #1 fighter in Britain now that David Haye and Ricky Hatton are pretty much after thought. Khan faces International Boxing Federation (IBF) light welterweight champion Zab Judah next Saturday on July 23 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Khan sees himself winning this fight and then moving onto a fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., which Khan feels he’ll win as well with the support of his British fans. It’s a big ask, even beating Judah, because Khan has struggled against much lesser fighters than those two and has been carefully matched through most of his career.

Speaking with the Observer, Khan said “The British public want to see and follow someone now, and I’m the guy who’s on the block and who’s fighting big names…There are some big fights out there against Floyd Mayweather Jr, and if I have the support that Ricky Hatton did, I’m sure I can go in there and beat him.”

Hatton a lot of support, but it didn’t help him against Mayweather. He lost anyway. The same will hold true for Khan. He should just be happy if he can get by Judah. That will be Khan’s Super Bowl victory and about as much as he can hope for in terms of winning big fights. Timothy Bradley is someone out there that Khan can continue to pursue, but who knows when that fight happen? It’s a toss up fight for the future. Khan would do well to stay at light welterweight long enough to try and avenge his 1st round knockout loss to Breidis Prescott and to take on Lucas Matthysse, perhaps the number #2 fighter in the division right now, and maybe Devon Alexander before moving up in weight. At welterweight, Khan will have problems unless he’s carefully matched to keep him away from Mayweather, Victor Ortiz and Mike Jones.

Khan’s future doesn’t have any of the difficult names like Matthysse, Prescott, and Alexander. If he gets by Judah, Khan will be looking to fight an older Erik Morales and then Kell Brook. Those decent fighters but I don’t see them as being in the class of Matthysse, Prescott, Jones, Alexander or Ortiz. It looks like Khan is being aimed at guys that his management feel are good fights for him, meaning guys that they think Khan will do well against. You can include the 33-year-old Judah along with that bunch, because many people feel he was beaten by Matthysse last year in his controversial 12 round decision over him.

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