By Tim Royner: Amir Khan has quashed the retirement rumors circulating about him by stating that he’s got at least two more fights left in him that he would like to be against Manny Pacquiao and Kell Brook.

Khan (34-5, 21 KOs) is still undecided whether he wants to continue with his career. He’s at the level where he only wants to face the big names like Pacquiao and Brook, but those fights aren’t easy to make.

Moreover, with boxing now having suspended temporarily, Khan doesn’t know when he’ll fight. If the sport doesn’t resume until next year in the summer or later, it’ll be difficult for Khan to stay with it that long.

The 33-year-old Khan has tried for many years to get a fight against Pacquiao, and he does not have the patience to wait much longer before he gives up.

What Khan has working against him is there’s a long line of fighters that Pacquiao has to fight. With Khan’s knockout losses to Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez, he’s not in a strong position to get the Pacquiao fight.

Khan not ready to retire yet

Hearn: “Amir Khan did an interview the other day where he talked about whether e has another fight left in him and his plans for the future. That’s what we’re going to talk about with Amir today. We’re trying to keep up the content and keep people talking about boxing,” said Hearn on his Instagram in talking to Khan.

Khan: “I still have a couple of fights left in me. I think there’s going to come a day when I want to do other things as well. I’ve always got boxing on the back of my mind, and I can’t chill out properly. Until I say I’m done with boxing, I can say that I’m free and can do whatever I want.

“I still want to fight…Hopefully by the summer, maybe that’s when they’ll allow sports to happen again. That’s when I’ll start my training camp. This is a setback for everyone. This break good for a lot of people. It gives their body a rest as well,” said Khan.

The promoters don’t currently know when boxing will return. Hearn is betting that fights will be back by July, but he doesn’t know for sure. What Khan needs is to fight a big name when he returns. If Brook or Khan aren’t available, then one of these fighters would be excellent choices:

Errol Spence Jr.
Danny Garcia
Keith Thurman
Adrien Broner
Josh Kelly

Khan vs. Kelly or Broner would be fine tick over fights for him while he waits on Pacquiao and Brook to become available. There would be a lot of interest from boxing fans worldwide in a Khan vs. Broner fight. If Brook is willing to come out of retirement, he would be an excellent choice for Khan.

Brook and Pacquiao fights interest Khan

“It has to be the biggest [fights]. That’s what motivates me now,” said Khan. “When you’ve made so much money in the game, what’s going to motivate you? It’s going to be the big-name fights. I think a Manny Pacquiao fight is enormous.

“Then you’ve got other names like Kell Brook. I think that would be a massive fight in the UK. What’s the situation with that fight? I heard he went up to 154,” said Khan.

Hearn: “He’s [Brook] still up at 154, but he made it so easy last time. I still think he can make 147. I still think it’s a disadvantage for him at 147, as it was in the Errol Spence fight. The situation Liam Smith is in with Kell is a bit like Kell is with you.

“You’re looking at Pacquiao. Everyone wants you to fight Kell Brook in the UK. Liam Smith wants to fight Kell Brook badly. Kell Brook wants to fight you or Crawford. It’s a massive stadium fight. I do like Brook vs. Liam Smith. Where do you stand with a Brook vs. Liam Smith fight?”

Hearn would pounce on putting together a fight between Khan and Brook, but during the Instagram live, he looked like he was playing coy. Eddie has tried so hard in the past to get Khan to take the fight with Brook, but he’s no luck.

So instead of putting pressure on Khan now, Hearn appeared indifferent and was talking about matching Brook against Liam Smith. That’s a decent fight, but it doesn’t compare with the amount of interest there would be for a Khan vs. Brook clash. Hearn knows this.

Hearn still wants to make Khan vs. Brook

Khan: “I sparred with Liam Smith for the [Terence] Crawford fight, and he’s strong, he comes forward, and he’s an outstanding fighter. His timing is fantastic. At 154, he’s [Smith] probably not one of the biggest hitters, but he is quite strong with his body pressure and his weight, and he puts that pressure on you.

“He and Kell Brook would be a 50-50 fight. It would be a good fight. I think Kell’s accuracy is outstanding, and I think timing-wise, it would be like a game of chess. I think it would be a good fight. Are you going to make it happen?”

Hearn: “Yeah, we’ll make it. I still want to make you and Kell, but we’ll see where we get when we start back.”

If Khan wants the Brook fight, he needs to tell Hearn now so he can put that together during the off time.