by James Slater – WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan spends a lot of time in Los Angeles already, being trained there at The Wild Card gym of his coach Freddie Roach. But now, in an interview he has given to The People, the 22-year-old Bolton man says he may wind up moving to California full time due to the way he is constantly encountering “bitterness and jealousy” in Great Britain..
Khan has been upset at what two of his fellow British fighters in particular – Carl Froch and John Murray – have had to say about him in recent times. Froch is reported to have said he has “never been a fan of Khan’s” and that Khan’s win over Andreas Kotelnik was “one of the most boring fights” he’s ever seen. Murray, who has been trying to land a fight with Khan for a long time now, reportedly has referred to Amir as “a complete joker.”
The remarks of these two fellow Brits may not be the full reason for Khan’s annoyance, but he has replied to both men in the People article.
“I’ve never spoken badly [about Carl Froch] or about John [Murray],” Khan said. “I’m a fighter and there’s a lot of jealousy in British boxing. Carl’s a very bitter person.”
Khan, who is soon to make the first defence of the WBA belt he won in the “boring” fight with Kotelnik, says he may well go and live in L.A full time as a result of how “tough” it’s getting living in England.
“I’d like to live in L.A eventually because it’s getting tough to live in Britain,” Khan explained. “I love the British public and it would be very hard to leave them, but my career comes first and whatever move I need to make, I will do. The difference in L.A is that people appreciate what you achieve, whereas you don’t see that in Britain. In Britain, I see a lot of bitterness and jealousy.”
So, if Khan were to move to America full time, would it mean he will not box in his home country any more? Will British boxing in effect “lose” one of it’s biggest and most exciting stars. I must admit, Khan’s feeling have come as a shock. Surely ever fighter receives at least some criticism from his fellow fighters – especially guys that want to fight him? Is Khan overreacting? Or is he right to feel upset when two of his countrymen fail to offer him their support?
It may be that Khan’s December fight against Dmitriy Salita, taking place in Newcastle in the north of England, will be his last on these shores.