Amir Khan – Chris Algieri Interview Transcript

By DiBella Entertainment - 05/07/2015 - Comments

Chris Algieri – Hello, everybody. I’d like to thank Lou DiBella Entertainment. It’s a pleasure to be back at Barclays Center. We fought a year ago last June, had a great fight, won my first world title. I’m also excited to be fighting on Spike. Thank you for hosting the event. It’s a whole new network to fight on. I’m very excited about it all.

Amir Khan Hello, everyone. I want to say hi to all the press and media. Brett Yormark is a friend of mine from Barclays Center. I’m very excited to fight at the Barclays Center. I’ve been there a few times. I always said that I want to come over here and give New York a huge fight, bring boxing there. I have a big fan base from New York. I’m sure Chris Algieri also has a big fan base. But we’re going to come and make some noise.

The fight is going to be on Spike, which I’m also excited for. I’m looking forward to the whole event on the 29th of May, on Friday. I hope you’re all going to be there cheering us on. Thank you.

Q

Chris, you’ve had time to work with John David Jackson now. Do you see him changing you in any significant way?

C. Algieri

Yeah, absolutely. It’s been a great training camp. We’ve been learning quite a bit. John has been bringing out a lot of aspects of my style, things I can do in the ring that I haven’t had an opportunity to show just yet.

We’re both very excited about this fight, excited about what we’re going to be able to do on fight night the 29th. Learning new aspects in a sport I love has been an eye-opening experience and enjoyable one as well.

Q

Taking someone on like Amir Khan, someone with his experience, the people he’s fought, I know you’ve kind of made the step up in these last two fights to a higher level, but this could have been an opportunity for you to take a little bit easier fight. Why did you keep it this tough right here?

C. Algieri

You know, I’ve never been that guy, to take an easy route or an easy fight. I’ve come up very fast in both of the sports I’ve come up in. Even at a young age when I was kickboxing, I took on big fights. In my young boxing career, it’s been a constant step-up my entire career.

I have not been one of those guys who has moved along gingerly. I’ve been excited to tackle big opponents and big fights on big stages. This is par for the course for my career.

Q

Amir, you had a possibility of fighting Mayweather until he made the fight with Pacquiao. They’ve already mentioned your name as a next possible opponent. How critical is winning this fight toward preserving that dream of fighting Mayweather? Do you see it as part of the big picture?

A. Khan

Definitely, winning this fight is everything to me. I’m not looking past this Chris Algieri fight. I know it’s a very dangerous fight for me. Stylistically he’s very dangerous and I’m not going to be looking past it. If I do, I’ll have made a mistake.

I have to be focused. I have to be disciplined in training camp, not looking past this Chris Algieri fight. I know there are big fights out there like Mayweather. I just have to stay focused and win this fight and go from there really.

Q

You call Chris “dangerous”. He’s not known as a big puncher. It could be a good boxing match. What do you see as the danger that Chris poses to you?

A. Khan

Technically I think overall he’s a very good boxer, moves well. He makes a lot of fighters fall short. He’s very skillful. You have to be on your “A” game to beat him.

I’ve been watching a lot of videos. Even the Pacquiao fight, there’s some good things he did there. It could be dangerous for me coming into this fight if I’m not on my “A” game. I have to be one step ahead and make sure I don’t make any mistakes. Chris Algieri is a guy that if you make a mistake, he’s going to make you pay for it.

Q

Amir, you were criticized heavily for taking this fight. What can you do in this fight to put your name up there to get the bigger fights again? Are you going to have to knock out Chris to make a real impression?

Amir Khan

Look, there’s people putting this fight down, and I don’t know why. At the end of the day, Chris has won a world title. He’s fought Pacquiao. He’s a very good boxer, moves well, boxes well. I definitely have to be on my “A” game.

All this stuff what people are saying, they’re probably thinking Amir thinks it’s going to be a walk in the park, but he’ll make a mistake and lose this fight.

I take every fight seriously. I’ve made that mistake in the past. I’ve fought some fights that I thought are going to be a walk in the park; I got hurt, I lost the fight. I’m not thinking any fight is going to be easy. Every fight I walk into, every person in front of me is going to be in there to win the fight.

Listening to Chris Algieri, he seems he wants to win this fight. That motivates me and makes me train harder. He wants to win this fight.

I’m not really listening to what people are saying about future fights or where this fight can take me.

Q

There still is pressure on you to deliver because you have to send a message that you’re still a big name.

A. Khan

Definitely there is. There’s a lot of pressure on me in every fight because they want to see me perform. Obviously there’s always the bigger picture of the other side.

At the end of the day I’m still fighting the top guys and I believe Chris is one of the top guys in boxing.

Q

You were quoted on the weekend that saying Leonard Ellerbe has mentioned Mayweather to you. What would be your plan there? Would it be hoping he puts it back to November or could you fight late in September?

A. Khan

To be honest, I’m not looking past this fight. I’ll tell you everything after the fight. At the moment what’s on my mind is the Chris Algieri fight. I don’t have anything else on my mind.

Q

Amir, you left Golden Boy after your contract ran out. You’re with PBC now. What was your thinking behind making that move?

A. Khan

PBC I think is brilliant because it’s going to give more fans the chance to tune in to get to see you. I think it’s going to be good for the boxers. To be on Spike, the viewers are going to be great.

At the end of the day it’s not like I’m making less money or anything. I’m still doing well financially. Obviously I’m getting more people to watch me fight hopefully on Spike and on PBC.

Q

Obviously your name has been linked with Mayweather not just the last three weeks but with the last three years. You’re both with Haymon. Has he ever said what you need to do to get in the ring with Mayweather?

A. Khan

To get that fight, you have to look good. You have to shine really. It’s all about working hard, training hard, putting in good performances in the ring. To turn in the best performances in the ring, I can’t take it easy in camp. I have to be very focused.

There’s been the word there for the last couple years that that fight was going to happen. But I’m going to be taking every fight one step at a time, hopefully put on great performances. If that fight comes, obviously it’s something I’ve always wanted.

Q

Is that what he’s saying to you?

A. Khan

Yes, my trainer, everyone has said. “you have a fight in front of you and Chris Algieri is no joke.” I can’t go into this fight thinking it’s going to be easy. In boxing, there are always guys who are skillful and can beat you. I have to be that one step ahead. I can’t really take this fight lightly and think it’s going to be easy, lose my fight, then all my dreams are shattered to fight all the big names in boxing.

Losing this fight, it would ruin my dreams to fight the big names in boxing. I have to be focused on this fight. I know what it’s like to fight someone in their own backyard. When I fought Lamont Peterson, you have to try harder to win that fight.

I have to be very focused, definitely keep the game plan strong, just win your rounds and win the fight.

Q

Chris, you were in the ring with Pacquiao before. Obviously there’s a shoulder injury he says he’s had for quite some time. Was there anything you felt when you were in there, maybe you saw a difference in him, different from when he fought you?

C. Algieri

I didn’t really see anything physically. I saw a little more mental. He seemed more focused from my fight, to tell you the truth. Even at the weigh-in, he was bubbly and smiley. He wasn’t that way with myself when we were in China. That’s neither here nor there. You don’t know whether that could be anything.

That’s kind of a hard question to answer for someone else.

Q

What does this fight mean for you going forward? A win against a top name in boxing would do wonders for your career. Tell us what a win would mean for your career moving forward.

C. Algieri

Yeah, I don’t want to speak for Amir or any other fighter out there, but we’re all competitors. We’re all out there to win. There’s a reason we do this at the elite level. You have to have a burning desire to be a winner.

Amir is a champion, a former champion. I’m a former champion, a champion myself. That will and desire to always want to win is there. There’s a lot of questions that are being asked. You have to win this fight. Of course, you have to win this fight. You have to win to get the big fights.

That’s one of the great things about this sport: when you keep winning, good things happen. Of course, we’re all very hungry to get this victory and move on with our careers. I’m in exactly the same place. This is a huge fight, a huge opportunity. As with any other fight, I want to win.

Q

Amir, did you see anything in Mayweather that you would have taken advantage of, something you saw that other people didn’t see? Did he look a step slower? Something you saw that you could take advantage of?

A. Khan

Yeah, I mean, I was there as a boxing fan. I’m only an hour away from Vegas. I went there to watch the fight. I enjoyed the atmosphere and everything.

Mayweather looked great. He did what he had to do to win the fight. His accuracy was nothing but the best. He was catching Pacquiao with some good, clean shots, whereas Pacquiao was falling short.

That’s the way he fights. He’s a very skillful fighter who is very patient and makes his opponent make mistakes. That’s what I liked about him.

His world grade is dropping tremendously because of his age. But there are things I saw there which I have not seen before; when he takes a good shot, he doesn’t panic. The only way to catch him is with speed. Pacquiao didn’t use as much speed and explosiveness in the fight.

I enjoyed it. I’m sure there were all those people who said he was never going to beat Pacquiao, well, he’s been there and done that.

Q

A lot of people want you to fight Kelly Brook, can you talk about the decision to take a different opponent who is not ranked as high?

A. Khan

I could have fought Kell Brook in the UK. I don’t want to fight because of Ramadan coming up. Either way, I’d be taking Ramadan off. I don’t want to be going into Ramadan tired after a fight, going straight into Ramadan, fasting.

I’ve done that before. I’ve had a fight and I’ve gone straight into Ramadan back-to-back. It’s too much for a body to take. Obviously I need to look after my body.

Yeah, Kell Brook, the guy is a world champion, he should be fighting the likes of Bradley and the big names in boxing, like me. I’m fighting Chris Algieri, who just came out of the ring in his last fight against Pacquiao. Kell Brook, never heard of the guy he fought. Now he’s fighting another no-name fighter without a ranking.

That name doesn’t bother me anymore because he’s not doing anything. The only reason his name gets pushed to me because he holds the title. If he didn’t have the title, I don’t think it would mean anything to me or boxing.

Q

Tell us your thoughts on Algieri as a fighter and give us some of your scouting report on him.

A. Khan

Chris Algieri just came off a win. I saw it the other day. It was a very good fight. He boxed very smart against a guy who is a good pressure fighter and a big puncher. Then, against Pacquiao, one of the quickest fighters in the world.

I think if you look at the names of Chris Algieri’s opponents, Kell Brook’s last few opponents, the names will speak for themselves.

Q

Chris, in this fight there’s been a lot of discussion what Amir is going to do in his next fight, all this. You’re in some ways being overlooked in this. Tell us what you think your advantages are over Amir and why you think you’re going to be able to win this fight.

C. Algieri

All the talk is none of my concern, to tell you the truth. I’m focused on training, preparing the best that I can for this fight. I’ve been working hard, working on a lot of new things with John David Jackson. Great sparring so far.

I’m just a very hungry fighter at this point. I’m coming off my first loss as a professional, and watching Pacquiao and Mayweather fight this weekend has spurred me on this much more, made me that much more of a hungry fighter.

It’s one of those things, you have a guy in great shape that is really hungry for the win. I think that’s a big advantage in any fight.

Q

Amir, focusing on this fight, what do you think your advantages are over Chris?

A. Khan

Yeah, the speed, the movement, the power. Experience is something that I have on my side. I remember a couple years ago when I was fighting the guys who were a lot more experienced than me, I was going and beating them guys. Now I’m in a position where I’m one of the guys with most experience, fighting guys with less experience.

You can’t take that lightly really because obviously I was once in Chris Algieri’s position where I had one loss and I was going up against the top guys in boxing, and I beat those guys.

I can’t go into this fight thinking it’s going to be an easy fight or I’m going to win this fight because I was once in Chris Algieri’s position, where I was getting people telling me, you’re not going to make it, you’re not going to win this fight. I proved everybody wrong.

Q

Amir, you fought in New York before. Chris is going to be the hometown guy in this fight. You’re well-known in New York, too. What do you think the effect is going to be having the fight in Brooklyn?

A. Khan

I always wanted to fight in Brooklyn. I fought at Madison Square Garden in 2009 against Paulie. I always wanted to come back to New York. The fan base is huge.

It’s like a second home for me. My wife lives in Staten Island. I spend a lot of time in New York. We live in England, but spend a lot of time in New York and America itself.

For me, every time I’m walking the streets of New York, I have everybody asking me, when are you going to be fighting again? We want to see you fight again in New York.

Also when I’m at Barclays Center, I’ve been there for a couple of the Nets games, people have always asked me, We need you back in New York. We need you to fight at Barclays Center.

I think it’s time now. I promised them I would come back. I’m coming back fighting one of their home fighters. I know by fighting that home fighter you have to work a bit harder because he’s going to have a little bit more fans than me.

But, I mean, time will tell. We’ll see how it all goes. I’m going to be focused on everything. I’m going to stay calm and hopefully come fight night I’m going to be ready for everything that Chris Algieri brings to the table. I’m going to be ready, yeah.

Q

Amir, in Vegas over the weekend you were getting mobbed everywhere you went by fans. What are they saying to you at this point? They’ve been asking you about Floyd. Has that subsided or is that still the message?

A. Khan

Everybody was talking about that one big fight. “You should fight Floyd. You should fight Floyd.”

I was telling them all, I’m fighting Chris Algieri next. That for me is a very tough fight. I need to win this fight if I need to go near any of the big names in fighting.

They were very supportive. I was getting a lot of respect in Vegas. But, like I said, this is time to fight Chris Algieri. I’m not going to be fighting Floyd Mayweather yet till I win this fight.

I was listening, being respectful back. Just meeting fans and greeting fans really.

Q

How inspiring was that to be part of the weekend? It was something quite special, wasn’t it?

A. Khan

It was massive having two big names. I’ve been to both big fights. Normally you have a Pacquiao fight with big names. When you go to a fight with two big names, it was huge. Manny had the bigger crowd, it seemed to me. Floyd just did what he had to do. It was full of a high-profile team, celebrities and stuff. I sat amongst them. It’s something I want to be doing one day, being in the ring, having millions of people in the world watching you and having people watch you ring side.

Q

You had Adrien Broner in your ear. What was that all about?

A. Khan

I think he just wants to jump on the bandwagon and get a little hype. I told my advisor to get me the fight with him before we even got the fight with Chris. Adrien to me seemed to not want the fight. In front of the cameras, he seems to want the fight. When it comes down to signing the contract, he doesn’t want the fight.

Adrien didn’t want it, so obviously I had to go on to someone else.

Q

Is it true that you’ve ruled out fighting in September if a Mayweather fight does come to pass? Will you not fight in September?

A. Khan

No, no, I’ve not ruled out. It’s possible I could fight in September, yeah. Ramadan is going to be a little bit earlier this year, so obviously it helps, gives me enough time to get the training done and everything. It can happen in September.

L. DiBella

Thank you, Amir and Chris. Thank you, everybody, for joining us.