Khan’s lack of focus could be his downfall

AMIR KHAN’S chin has often been called into question but, according to his trainer, it is another weakness that could prove costly against Terence Crawford this weekend. ‘Focus is his real Achilles heel,’ says Virgil Hunter. ‘The KOs have been the product of mental lapses, as was the early knockdown in his last fight against Jessie Vargas. ‘Amir has a wandering mind in the gym. When he’s shadow boxing his thoughts can be a million miles away. ‘I keep telling him that with his ability the sky is the limit. But he has to concentrate. I have to re-program him every time he comes to camp. ‘He’s never been a student of the game. He’s very coachable and gives his all but you develop as a boxer between fights. I wanted him to do mini-camps to keep his focus but there’s always obstacles in the way.’ Crawford is the unbeaten WBO champion and rated the second best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet and Khan (above) understands the importance of this fight. He says: ‘It’s hard to get motivated against lesser opponents in warm-up fights. But this is the big one. I want to be three-time world champion.’ Khan v Crawford live on BT Sport on Saturday night. Information at www.bt.com/btsportboxoffice.