Amir Khan : Fighting Vijender Singh will be a regressive step

05/11/2017

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Although Amir Khan is aware of the buzz that a matchup between him and Vijender Singh will create, the Pakistan-born British boxer said it will be a step back for him given that he is far more established. Amir also felt that the faceoff will sell only in India and Pakistan.

Two-time world champion Amir was at his confident best when asked about the possibility of taking on Vijender.

“Vijender has not made a big noise. He hasn’t won a major title, or even half a major title, which will make people regard him as a good fighter,” said Amir, who was in Mumbai promoting his recently launched Super Boxing League.

“For me to fight him… it’ll be a step backwards and I’ll get a lot of criticism (if I) fight him. At the moment, it’s politically a good fight because he’s Indian and I’m Pakistani background. But in America or the UK, this fight won’t sell. But if Vijender wins a title and makes a name for himself and then fights me, people will buy the fight. They will want to watch the fight," the 30-year-old Amir was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.

Amir rose to prominence at the 2004 Athens Olympics when he clinched silver in the Lightweight category as a 17-year-old. He turned pro the very next year and holds a 31-4 record on the circuit while rubbing shoulders with some of the best in the business.

Vijender is undefeated in eight bouts. “From a business point of view, you want to maximize it (the match) and make sure you can make it the best fight. At the moment, because Vijender is not that big, only in India and Pakistan will the fight be big,” Amir said.

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