Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CRAWFORD v KHAN, WBO WELTERWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT Beating Crawford wouldn’t beat the Olympics
KHAN SAYS VICTORY OVER THE AMERICAN WOULD SECURE HIS LEGACY BUT HE RANKS THE SILVER MEDAL AS HIS BEST MOMENT
BEATING Terence Crawford would catapult Amir Khan into the boxing stratosphere – but he claims it wouldn’t top winning Olympic silver.
Khan, 32, shot to fame as a 17-year-old when he reached the final in Athens in 2004 before losing to Cuban legend Mario Kindelan (right).
He has since won world titles in two weight divisions and established himself as one of Britain’s best ever.
Victory over welterweight world champion Crawford on April 20 would propel Khan to even greater heights – but he insists nothing will beat that night in Greece.
He said: “This is another big test but I am not biting off more than I can chew. This is a fight I know I can win.
“It will be like a chess match, I will not go in and get hurt, I will try to win otherwise I would not have taken it.
“I’m not going in there with nothing to lose and I’m not going there as an opponent – I’m the best fighter he’s been in the ring with. I’m a better fighter than all the fighters he’s faced and I’d beat all the fighters he’s faced.
“He’s moving up in levels and so am I, he’s a big test for me and someone at my own weight division where
I’m more comfortable.
“But it wouldn’t be my greatest achievement, it would be one of the greatest.
“The best has to be the Olympics. I was a nobody before then and it changed my life and made me a household name overnight.
“That’s so hard to do; from everybody in the UK and the world not knowing who Amir Khan was to being a household name.” Khan (below, after winning his silver medal) will earn at least £4million for fighting Crawford – but rejected £8m to fight bitter rival Brook. And he denied accusations he has dodged his domestic foe in order to avoid a careerdefining defeat. He added: “The Brook fight will always be there, even if things go badly in this fight. “I am not saying I do not want the Brook fight, I would love it, but this fight shines more because he has the title and is a pound-for-pound star so this is where I belong.
“People will say I have no chance and that is perfect for me because I love being the underdog.
“Being the underdog takes all the pressure off me and I can prove I am the best.”