Three months after losing to his arch-rival Kell Brooks, Amir Khan has announced his retirement from boxing, bringing down the curtains on his 27-year-spanning boxing career. Khan shot to prominence after bagging a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics.
“It’s time to hang up my gloves. I feel blessed to have had such an amazing career that has spanned over 27 years. I want to say a heartfelt thanks and to the incredible teams I have worked with and to my family, friends and fans for the love and support they have shown me,” tweeted Khan.
Soon after winning the Olympics medal, Khan turned into a professional, and defeated Andriy Kotelnyk to become the unified world light-welterweight champion.
Let’s take a look at five of the biggest fight of Amir Khan’s glorious career.
Amir Khan vs Marco Antonio Barrera (2009)
The timing of this victory was significant. Six months after getting knocked out by Breidis Prescott, Khan defeated the Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera. The fight lasted only till Round 5, as Barrera had to discontinue the fight after getting a cut on his left eye.
Amir Khan vs Andriy Kotelnik (2009)
At 22, Amir Khan outclassed Andriy Kotelnik to become the world’s welterweight champion for the first time. Having successfully defended his title against Norio Kimura and Marcos Maidana, the fight was heavily tipped in the favour of Kotelnik. But Khan showed surreal dominance against an opponent nine years older than him, winning the game with a scoreline of 120-108, 118-111 (twice).
Amir Khan vs Devon Alexander (2014)
Khan’s flashy punches and lightning-quick movement proved too much for Devon Alexander, the southpaw who had won the championship in both super lightweight and welterweight. After winning this game in 12 rounds, Khan expressed his desire to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. But it never materialised, as Mayweather chose to fight Manny Pacquiao and Andre Berto before hanging up his gloves.
Amir Khan vs Paulie Malignaggi (2010)
Almost six months before his fight against Maidana, Amir Khan announced his arrival to the USA with a thrilling win over Paulie Malignaggi in New York. Khan’s blistering pace was just too hot to handle for Malignaggi, who had to seek medical treatment by the 10th round. The referee then had to stop the fight in the next round.
Amir Khan vs Marcos Maidana 2010
Even though Amir Khan had already established his credentials by defending his light-welterweight belt twice, many still felt he is avoiding the biggest name in his category. The fight against Marcos Maidana, who has won 29 out of 30 games at that time, was going to be a litmus test for the British boxer. Amir Khan suffered a killer blow in Round 10, a vicious overhand punch that would have knocked out most of the fighters. But Khan showed incredible resilience, and eventually won the tie by 114-111, 114-111, 113-112.
