Martin Gethin To Be Amir Khan’s Comeback Opponent On December 13th?

by James Slater – According to British newspaper The Daily Mirror, Amir Khan will likely make his comeback against fellow Brit Martin Gethin, a 24-year-old lightweight with a 15-0-1(7) record. Gethin shocked the also unbeaten John “Fireball” Fewkes in his last fight, stopping the highly touted fighter in just four-rounds..

Now, speaking to the paper, Gethin has said he is ready, willing and able to take on Khan next.

“If I were given the chance to go in against Khan, I would jump at it,” Gethin said. “There’s no point in avoiding people. This would be a good time to take him on. We know that he has a weak chin and can be stopped.”

Gethin is certainly a more than decent opponent for Khan, as he proved against an admittedly weight-troubled Fewkes (he came in overweight, having lost his battle with the scales, leading some to suggest he wasn’t in top shape for the September fight). Coming back after being annihilated by the big punching Breidis Prescott last time out, Khan can ill afford another loss. If he does go in with Gethin, and The Mirror paper says the 24-year-old is the favourite to land the bout, Khan deserves credit for going in with a live opponent and a natural lightweight instead of a soft touch, as many believed would be the case.

Gethin will not be interested in Khan’s plans at rebuilding his career, he will be looking to do the same thing he did to Fewkes – another fight in which he was seen as the underdog.

“I wasn’t given much of a chance against Fewkes, but I showed what I can do,” Gethin continued. “I was seen as just a stepping stone for him, but that wasn’t the case. I stopped Fewkes in four rounds. I beat him fair and square and I’m ready to push on from here. I’m happy with the English title (which he won in the fight against Fewkes) and my next step is the British title. I’ve worked my way up and I’ll continue to build my reputation the right way.”

Obviously, though he was destroyed by Prescott in just 54-seconds in his last fight, a win over Khan would give Gethin’s career and reputation a huge boost. The fight, whoever it is Khan actually faces, looks set to be moved to London and to December 13th, instead of being staged in Birmingham the week before. This is so new trainer Freddie Roach will be free to work with Khan. On December 6th, of course, Freddie has enough to do with his fighter Manny Pacquiao taking on Oscar De La Hoya.