Time For Brave Amir Khan To Be Applauded Ahead Of Ultra Tough Terence Crawford Fight

Time For Brave Amir Khan To Be Applauded Ahead Of Ultra Tough Terence Crawford Fight
21:14, 31 Mar 2019

The boom in British boxing over the past five years has been nothing short of sensational.

Boxing is now freely available on multiple TV channels in the UK and as a result we have seen big name after big name emerge with a world title around their waist. Sky Sports and BT continue to lock horns with the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Josh Warrington and Callum Smith at the top of their games and there has even been the emergence of ITV Box Office over the past year which has been another welcome boost to the sport.

There are more fights than ever for the TV fan to soak up and that is going to continue for the foreseeable future, particularly if the aforementioned Joshua and Fury continue to win.

Joshua in particular has changed the sport in this country with people almost taking the fact that he can fill out a 90,000 seat football stadium for granted these days, and that sums up just how far the sweet science has come.

Rewind 15 years though and the picture wasn't quite as rosy.

Amir Khan was the 17-year-old boxer who came back from Athens with a silver medal round his neck and one of the most famous faces in British sport. The skinny lad from Bolton appeared to have the world at his feet and the TV companies loved him - here was a face that could take British boxing into the 21st century.

Few would have been able to predict what was in front of a fresh faced Khan back then with more than enough drama in the intervening years to fill three careers, was he the man to bring the sport back to the mainstream?

Ricky Hatton certainly played a massive part in that but the role of Khan must not be overlooked in the rise of the sport in the UK.

Still only 32, the Brit is just days away from taking on yet another tough test as he puts it all on the line against Terence Crawford in one of the most eagerly awaited fights of the year. Crawford is widely considered one of the best fighters on the planet meaning Khan has once again taken the hardest fight available, which has to be applauded.

It hasn't always worked out for the Bolton man with one or two devastating knock outs on his record but what can't be questioned is his heart and willingness to take on the very best.

Too often we see fighters looking to protect themselves but not Khan, fights against Canelo, Maidana and Danny Garcia among others have seen him taking the hard fights when it would have been easier to take the softer route.

Khan is a fighter that divides opinion and maybe that is due to some of his antics out of the ring but boxing fans have never been shortchanged by one of the fastest fighters in recent memory. The current crop of British fighters are in amongst a large batch of superstars but it would be easy to forget that Amir Khan was one of the trailblazers for this country in the early part of the century.

Crawford will likely prove too strong when they meet later this month but with the former British world champion in the opposite corner, we do know is that there is entertainment guaranteed.

Criticise Khan for his silly twitter comments, even criticise him for his lack of defence but don't judge one of the most exciting British fighters of the 21st century for his heart.

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