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| November 4, 2005 | Friday | Shawwal 1, 1426 |
Boxing prodigy Amir to visit Pakistan
GLASGOW, Nov 3: Amir Khan will have the first of two fights in just over a month on Saturday, at the Braehead Arena, but the 2004 Olympic Games silver medallist insists he is not rushing through the early part of his professional career.
The 18-year-old wants to become Britain’s youngest world champion, beating the achievement of Ted ‘Kid’ Lewis who won the world welterweight title in 1915, 54 days short of his 21st birthday.
Undefeated Amir, who has so far operated as a light-welterweight in his first two professional outings, faces fellow Englishman Steve Gethin in Scotland this weekend before returning to action at London’s ExCel Arena on December 10.
“This is just like a little warm-up for the bigger fights to come, but I just have to take one step at a time,” Amir said Wednesday of his bout with Gethin, a journeyman pro from England’s Midlands.
“I will probably be ready for a title fight in a year and a half, but so far my career is going according to plan.
“There’s no point in knocking lads out in the first round all the time and in my last fight I didn’t but I know now what it is like to go the distance. It’s about learning and hopefully next year I will fight six times.”
Amir, a British Muslim born and brought up in Bolton, north-west England but with roots in Pakistan, will be watched in Glasgow by another of Britain’s emerging young sportsmen in Scottish tennis player Andy Murray.
However, for all the attention he is getting, Amir claims to be just a normal teenager.
“I cope with the pressure because I have got good family support that helps,” he said.
“All some fans write on the envelope is ‘Amir Khan, Olympic silver medallist’ - and it still manages to get to my home! I read them all and we reply to them all - but we must get about seven or eight a day, or more.”
Amir plans to visit Pakistan after his fourth professional fight in December but admits it won’t not be much of a holiday.
“In December, after the fight, I’m going to a mate’s wedding in Pakistan. The attention I get in Pakistan is mad and a lot of people know me out there.
“We own the TV rights to show my fights in Pakistan, so we are trying to get that sorted over there.”
Amir has been urging fight fans in Britain to give to charities supporting victims of the October earthquare in Asia.—AFP
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