By Scott Gilfoid: After wasting pretty much the entire 2015 year by fighting only once, Amir “King” Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) finds himself in the moment of truth in 2016. Khan, 29, has been yapping about wanting a big fight for the past years, and now he finally has one about to take place against IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook.
Khan wanted to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, but those fights have failed to take place. Khan still technically has a chance to get selected by Pacquiao for his April 9th fight in 2016, but Pacquiao’s elderly promoter Bob Arum might have put the kiss of death for a fight between the two by him saying he hopes Pacquiao doesn’t select Khan because he doesn’t promote him.
The good news for Khan is he won’t have to worry about being rejected by Kell Brook and his promoter Eddie Hearn, because they badly need the Khan fight in order to get a big payday. This might be Brook’s only chance for a big payday in his career.
There aren’t any notable names in the UK in the 147 and 154lb divisions other than Khan, and Brook is likely going to lose his IBF title soon anyway once he faces the talented Errol Spence Jr. in 2016 or 2017. That’s a fight that Brook won’t be able to clinch his way through like he did against Shawn Porter in winning a very, very close and some people would say controversial decision.
If Khan does fight Brook and lose the fight, then it’s going to a blow to Khan’s career, because he’s done pretty much zero since his win over Zab Judah four years ago in 2011. Beat an arguably over-the-hill Judah was kind of the zenith of Khan’s career. It’s been all downhill since then for Khan with him losing to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia, and then fighting five lesser fighters to pick up wins in three years’ worth of tune-up fights.
Hearn is already in negotiations with Khan’s management for a fight in the summer of 2016 in London possibly.
Khan has been acting more like a retired fighter than an active one lately with his concentrating on traveling around the world to deal with different causes. Khan isn’t retired, but he seems to living the life of leisure like Floyd Mayweather Jr. rather than someone actively involved in boxing and trying to improve themselves at the sport.
You can only imagine how rusty Khan is now due to him not fighting frequently. Khan fought twice in 2014 in beating Luis Collazo and Devon Alexander, and then only once in 2015 against Chris Algieri. Khan fought poorly against Algieri, and was fortunate to get the victory. Instead of Khan staying active, he’s been jetting around the globe here and there.
If Khan is going to face Brook in the summer, then he would be crazy not to face someone to use as a warmup. There have been rumors that Khan could be facing Jessie Vargas next in a tune-up fight. I’ll believe that when I see it. I don’t think Arum will like the idea of a non-Top Rank fighter like Khan beating up on Vargas and causing him to lose value for him and his stable.
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