Amir Khan considers retirement following defeat to Kell Brook

Amir Khan was defeated by Kell Brook inside six rounds as the two British boxers fought in Manchester.

With both fighters now at the age of 35, it was likely that the loser of this grudge fight would heavily consider retirement. In his post-fight interviews for Sky Sports, Khan hinted towards this decision but stated he had not come to a complete decision just yet.

“I’ve had 40 fights, winning two world titles, fighting in America and around the world. I need to sit down with my family. But it is more towards the end of my career.

“The love for the sport isn’t there anymore. That’s maybe a sign that I should call it a day.”

Khan put on a valiant display against Brook. He was stumbled in the first round after Brook caught him with a stiff jab. From there on in, the Sheffield-born boxer smelled blood and continued to look for the knockout blow.

This did not stop Khan from progressing at Brook and trying to push him onto the ropes. It was clear that the former world champions would not give up no matter the circumstances. Eventually, the age and lack of fights in the past years caught up to Khan as the referee stopped the onslaught from Brook in the sixth round.

Khan initially gained popularity at the 2004 Olympics, where he won a silver medal at the age of 17. He won his first world championship after he beat Andriy Kotelnik by unanimous decision to obtain the WBA World Super Lightweight Title.

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After the fight, Khan reflected on his very successful career in boxing.

“I’ve done more than I ever expected. Maybe I peaked too early in my career, I was at the Olympics at 17, I won the world title at 22. I’m now 35, I’ve been in the game a very long time, I’m an old man now.”

Not only has Khan had a massive impact on British boxing, but he has also influenced the British Asian community into getting involved in the sport and this was shown on the undercard of his fight against Brook.

22-year-old Ibrahim Nadim won his sixth professional fight after beating Taka Bembere on points. Nadim worked his way through the ranks at the same gym where Khan first started, Bury ABC. He won many youth titles with Khan’s former coach and now trains with Ricky Hatton.

20-year-old Adam ‘The Assassin’ Azim also won his third consecutive fight after a KO victory over Jordan Ellison. The fighter from Slough expressed the feeling of fighting on the same card as Khan on his social media.

It is unlikely that Khan will fight again as he is currently not close to the level required to fight for a title and there are not many if any grudge fights left. If he were to fight again, it would be to try and end his career on a high.

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