Amir Khan retires from boxing after an amazing career
Amir Khan suffered a brutal defeat to his British rival Kell Brook in February. Today, the former world champion has decided to hang up his gloves.
Khan was expected to return to the ring to face either Chris Eubank Jr. or Conor Benn in another all-British clash. He will instead follow his most recent opponent into retirement. Brook announced that he was hanging up his gloves last Saturday.
The Bolton native broke the news on his social media:
"I want to say a heartfelt thanks and to the incredible teams I have worked with and to my family, friends and fans for the love and support they have shown me."
It’s time to hang up my gloves.
I feel blessed to have had such an amazing career that has spanned over 27 years.
I want to say a heartfelt thanks and to the incredible teams I have worked with and to my family, friends and fans for the love and support they have shown me. https://t.co/VTk0oxVjp2
Khan had an incredible 40-fight career, where he won 34 of his contests.
The Brit has challenged himself on multiple occasions, stepping into the ring with pound-for-pound superstars such as Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez. He can leave the sport knowing that he's had an amazing career and will go down as one of England's most successful boxers.
Which were Amir Khan's most notable wins?
Amir Khan had a sublime amateur career, where he won an Olympic silver medal at 17 years old to become Britain's youngest boxing Olympic medalist. The Brit also had a fantastic professional career, where he was a Unified Light Welterweight Champion, having held the WBA and IBF Titles.
Khan's most notable wins involve him defeating the Argentinian pressure fighter Marcos Maidana. The bout was for his WBA Light Welterweight Title, which he successfully defended, winning via unanimous decision.
Arguably one of the 35-year-old's most impressive fights came against Devon Alexander at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in 2014. He won a wide unanimous decision in just his second bout at welterweight. The scores were 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110, all for Khan. This was the fight that hinted at what he could achieve in the weight class after his successes in the division below.
Amir Khan also outboxed Paulie Malignaggi in another spectacle. He dominated the fight with his jab until the referee stopped the bout with the American hurt on the ropes.
Watch Khan talk about why he decided to hang up his gloves (via Sky Sports Boxing - YouTube):