Amir Khan: I'll never go the way of Ricky Hatton
Amir Khan says he won’t fall into the pitfalls of his heroes.
The WBA junior welterweight champ spoke recently about disgraced British boxing sensation Ricky Hatton, who was caught sniffing cocaine in a hotel washroom a month ago. Hatton is the newest addition to
a slew of British fighters who have fallen from grace following personal events and a withdrawal from the sports that made them famous.
“The only reason boxers get into drugs when they retire is because they’re bored,” Khan said. “They need something to give them the same high they got fighting. Boxers like Calzaghe and Hatton have messed
up their legacies but they should still be remembered as great fighters.”
In March Calzaghe admitted to an undercover reporter that he took cocaine occasionally since retiring from professional boxing with an unblemished 46-0 record. Following the confession an article appeared
immediately in the News of the World, the same British publication that eventually revealed Hatton’s drug ties.
Khan furthered his position on the matter, saying: “OK, they made mistakes, but they are sorry and I'm sure they will learn from what they have done and become better people. When I look at what's happened
to them so soon after they were world champions, it makes me even more determined that it won't happen to me."
In an on-air radio interview recently, Khan proposed that he will retire from boxing in five years, at the age of 28. His comments mirror those made by WBA heavyweight champ David Haye recently, who said
he would retire by the age of 31.
Khan is characteristically seen at press conferences in a signature black suit, playing the role of the sophisticated, cosmopolitan businessman-boxer. He says that when he does retire, he would like to
remain within the sport offering commentary, since he loves “it too much to walk away completely.”
Khan squares off against challenger Marcos Maidana on 11 December. He will be looking to defend his title from Maidana, a prodigious knockout artist who has waited in line for Khan for a year.
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