Until now, Amir Khan, when asked when he will fight British rival Kell Brook (who is constantly calling Khan out) answered that the fight would take place in time, or when Brook has added a big name or two to his resume. This is not what Khan is saying now, however. Coming straight to the point, Khan says he “doesn’t like” Brook, and he insists, “I’m not going to give him the fight.”
Khan, speaking with ESPN.com, said he feels he has the last few years ahead of him in his career and that he wants to “maximise it and leave a great legacy behind.” So, Khan doesn’t think a big, outdoor stadium fight with Brook would add to his legacy, even if he were to win it in style. Khan wants U.S names, Danny Garcia being his first choice, and Tim Bradley. While Khan also harbours ideas of somehow luring Puerto Rican legend Miguel Cotto to the UK, and Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao out of retirement. While a Brook fight would be a cinch to make, these fights – the Garcia one aside, as Khan is mandatory challenger to the WBC welterweight ruler – might prove tricky, especially in the UK.
Interestingly, though, Brook spoke to Sky Sports and he said it would be “unsafe” for him to fight Khan. Brook, who admitted he got carried away in calling Khan out on Twitter just minutes after Khan had been heavily and brutally knocked out by Canelo Alvarez, has had a re-think, and he fears he would also score a nasty KO over Khan.
“He’s had some bad knockouts. I punch just as hard as Canelo,” Brook said. “It would be just a matter of time before the same thing happened.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0606YOzN6Tg
Well, Khan won’t give Brook the chance, as he stated quite firmly.
“I don’t think that fight will happen, I’ll give it a miss,” he said. “He’s on his route, I’m on my route, and we just don’t agree with each other. Basically, I don’t like him and I’m not going to give him the fight.”
While it is a shame for British boxing that this particular rivalry will not be settled in the ring, both men will feature in other big fights soon enough. Khan is targeting that return fight with Garcia, while Brook is looking at a unification fight with Jesse Vargas. These matches, if they go ahead, will satisfy fans of both fighters. Khan-Brook is not the first great match-up not to have happened despite years of talk, hype and hope, and it will not be the last.