Amir Khan says Kell Brook’s last performance derailed plans for a bumper domestic clash
Written by News on 16/01/2019
Amir Khan says Kell Brook ‘hurt’ plans for a huge domestic clash with his last performance and he instead turned his attention to Terence Crawford.
The British rivals were unable to finally agree a fight as Khan opted to challenge Crawford for the WBO welterweight title on April 20, with a venue to be announced.
Khan insists he seized the opportunity to regain a world crown after accusing Brook of devaluing their British battle with a below-par display in a points win over Michael Zerafa in December.
“I just feel that this has got the world title on the line, he’s pound-for-pound up there as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters,” Khan told Sky Sports News.
“The Kell Brook fight is there, still. After his last performance, it was such a bad performance his last fight, I just thought it maybe even hurt the fight between us both.
“When I had the opportunity to take this fight against Crawford, I grabbed it with both hands and said ‘I’m going to take this fight’, because it’s such a big fight. Being a world champion and coming back and fighting Kell Brook would be awesome, would be even bigger.”
At the age of 32, Khan acknowledges he is approaching his final few years in the sport, and does believe the Brook fight will happen before he hangs up his gloves.
Asked if he still wants the Brook fight, Khan said: “Yeah, definitely. I think that’s a big fight that the public in the UK want.
“But at the moment, I think it’s the Crawford fight I’m in now. I have to set my focus on him first, win this fight and then move on to Kell Brook.
“Somewhere down the line, this is probably the last chapter of my career in boxing. Somewhere down the line, the Kell Brook fight will be there, and I’m going to give it to the UK fans.”
(c) Sky News 2019: Amir Khan says Kell Brook’s last performance derailed plans for a bumper domestic clash
