By Gav Duthie: Earlier this writer discussed Kell Brook’s decision to continue his career after many thought he would call it a day. There were even more cries even screams for Amir Khan to retire after that night fighting Kell and even he seemed to agree.
The Olympic silver medalist seems to want to go out on a high though or have at least one more crack at it or a big payday.
Reports suggest Amir has a net worth of around £40 million but he leads a lavish lifestyle. He apparently wants to exercise the rematch clause with Brook but Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom wants Khan to prove himself on a showcase event on Sky first before he even considers to make such a commitment.
This article looks at 5 possible opponents he could face that could showcase his skills if indeed he has anything left after a long 18-year career.
(5) Breidis Prescott 31-19 (22)
In reality, Prescott shouldn’t even be near a fight at this level. If you think Amir is finished the Columbian ko artist has lost his last 7 with the last 2 by knockout.
He went to 20-0 (18) with his destruction of Khan in 2008 and is 11-19 in his last 30 fights over those 14 years. You can’t deny though that there is some marketability to this fight.
He knocked Amir out in less than a minute and fans will believe he can do the same again. Amir has lost 5 fights and he has never avenged any of them.
This could be a fight where he exercises one of those demons and looks good doing so.
(4) Omar Figueroa Jnr 28-2-1 (19)
The 32-year-old seems to be another faded fighter. He has lost his last two outings. His Ugas defeat was respectable but looked shot against Abel Ramos.
Figueroa has always had issues with weight and discipline. He looked great when he destroyed Robert Guerrero. ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero looked exactly that in their fight in 2017 as Jnr dismantled him in 3 rounds but then Figueroa took 2 years off.
Bizarrely Guerrero retired straight after but is now on a 4 fight win streak. Figueroa is a name that might be familiar to UK fans as he won a fight of the year contender against Ricky Burns back in 2015.
He doesn’t seem to have that same ferocity and as he hasn’t officially retired he could be a good one for Khan to look good against.
(3) Blair Cobbs 15-1-1 (10)
He may be coming off a loss but Blair ‘The Flair’ can definitely sell a fight. Cobbs put himself out there so much he may not fight again due to being a little humiliated against Alexis Rocha this month but a win over Khan could bet him right back in there.
Cobbs made a name for himself despite the defeat and he turned a nightmare (Vergil Ortiz injury) into a pretty good show with his gamesmanship.
He looked ok in the early rounds against Rocha and many would give him a chance against Khan. He would be of great value outside the ring here in the UK and again it’s a win that could be a good benefit for Khan if he can take it.
(2) Florian Marku 10-0-1 (6)
I didn’t even really think about this one but promoter Ben Shalom mentioned it himself. The Albanian is facing a tough test against Chris Jenkins this Saturday. Jenkins is coming off a good win against former unified world champion Julius Indongo.
Marku much like Cobbs is a great personality who is happy to fight anyone. He has skills and a bit like Khan he fights in bursts.
Marku is seen by many as someone who can really do something in the division and at 29 years old Khan would be a great strap to propel him to the big time.
Khan may feel fighting a prospect is beneath him but after the Brook fight, he needs to prove himself as Shalom has said. He also needs to prove it to the fans and most importantly himself and this is a very stern test.
(1) Robert Guerrero 37-6-1 (20)
As aforementioned Guerrero looked completely finished before his retirement in 2017. He was slow, ponderous, and had little defense.
He is a big name though and has 4 wins since with a recent points victory over another noughties legend in Victor Ortiz.
I still don’t think Guerrero has returned to his former glories and at 39 years old he would probably love a cash-out fight against Amir Khan. If the Bolton man can’t win a fight like this maybe he should call it a day.
Conclusion
It will take some clever matchmaking to help Khan look good after his lackluster performance against Brook. He may seek the rematch or he may just want to go out with a win, either way, there are a few fights that can help him with whatever his goal may be.
If he can’t beat any of these 5 then he 100 percent needs to call it a day.
