Amir Khan reveals he’s planning to RETIRE after being ripped apart by Kell Brook, insisting the love for boxing ‘isn’t there anymore’… as Brook says he’s also contemplating calling it quits, though he’s tempted by a bout against Chris Eubank Jr
Amir Khan said he is ready to quit the ring after losing his grudge match with bitter rival Kell Brook at the AO Arena in Manchester last night.
Khan was hurt in the first round, never fully recovered and was eventually stopped in the sixth as Brook celebrated wildly.
The feuding duo embraced at the end, the curtain finally brought down on their 17-year rivalry, and while Brook was bragging, ‘I told you so’, Khan was on the verge of calling it a day.
Amir Khan revealed he’s leaning towards retirement after his defeat to Kell Brook
The rivals came together and embraced in the ring shortly after the fight was stopped
Meanwhile Brook insisted he could now face-off against Chris Eubank Jr in his next fight
‘I’m very upset,’ Khan, 35, told Sky Sports in the immediate aftermath. ‘I just couldn’t get it going. I have fallen a little bit short.
‘Obviously he was the best man today. I was catching Kell with some good shots but I’m not blaming anyone.
‘I had a great training camp but couldn’t get going. I was falling short and missing a lot. Kell was on his A-game today.
‘I need to sit down with my family but it is more towards the end of my career. The love of the sport isn’t there any more.
‘That is a sign for me that I should maybe be calling it a day.’
While the former world light-welterweight champion considers hanging up his gloves, Brook, also 35, is now planning ahead after completing a stunning return following 16 months out of the ring.
‘I knew it was going to happen,’ said the Sheffield fighter. ‘It was just a matter of time before I was getting him out of there. Those are the fights I wanted to be involved in when I walked into a gym as a kid. War of the Roses. King of the North.
‘I knew from 18 years old I was a better fighter than him. He had the push and the promoters behind him because he won an Olympic medal.
‘They tried to get into my head. They tried to push and poke at me. I even had people knocking at my door in the morning, trying to disrupt my sleep.’
And long before fans had left the building at the end of last night’s pulsating contest, talk was already of a possible mouthwatering showdown with Chris Eubank Jnr.
Eubank Jr saw off Welsh rival Liam Williams in a grudge match two weeks ago and clearly there’s no love lost between him and Brook.
Eubank Jnr, speaking about the prospect from ringside, said: ‘I don’t like him. He doesn’t like me. We can make it happen. He has proved he has the spice, I want to see how much spice he has got with me.’
Brook added: ‘I don’t like Eubank. If the fight is right, I will fight — I’m a prizefighter.’
Earlier, Britain celebrated a new world champion on the undercard, when Natasha Jonas won the vacant WBO super-welterweight title with a brilliant second-round stoppage of Christian Namus.
‘Miss GB’, who jumped three weight divisions, floored Namus with a brutal left-hand, right-hook combination in round one and the fight was halted after another knockdown into the second.
‘I can’t even put it into words,’ said the 37-year-old Jonas, who had failed in two previous world-title tilts and dedicated this victory to her young daughter.
‘You honestly don’t know the sacrifices that not just boxers but all athletes go through… I’ve been through hell and back.’
Earlier in the night, Olympic heavyweight hero Frazer Clarke began his professional journey with a first-round stoppage of Jake Darnell. Clarke won bronze in Toyko for Team GB before joining the paid ranks aged 30.
‘I’ve been thinking about that [ring walk] for 12 years,’ he said.
‘I understand there’s a long way to go. I’m not quite where I want to be physically. It’s just the start of the journey. I’ve got loads to learn.’
Clarke added: ‘I’m under no illusions that that opponent, no disrespect, was a bit of a soft touch… my job was getting here and doing what I do best.’