Kell Brook superfight looms for Amir Khan after Briton’s juddering knockout defeat to Saul ALvarez
Britain's Amir Khan intends to return to welterweight, increasing the likelihood of a grudge match with unbeaten Kell Brook, following his brutal defeat by WBC middleweight champion Saul Alvarez.
Khan’s ambitious bid to climb two weight divisions and outfox “Canelo” Alvarez ended with a juddering sixth-round knockout at the hands of the Mexican in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The Bolton fighter, 29, has previously resisted IBF welterweight champion Brook’s offer of a Lancashire-Yorkshire clash but his plan to drop to his more familiar weight will revive hopes of a British superfight.
Read more: Khan offered 60/40 purse split to fight Brook
“I’m a natural 147lbs fighter, but this challenge came and it was very hard to turn down. I want to be the best, I want to fight the best and that’s why I took this fight,” he said.
“I showed my bravery by getting in the ring with Canelo, but this is boxing. I was unfortunate that I didn’t make it to the end, but I tried my best. But I will probably go down to 147 now.”
Khan, who has now lost four of his 35 fights, also reassured fans on social media that he had not suffered any lasting from Alvarez’s bludgeoning right-hand despite going to hospital as a precaution.
The former Olympic silver medallist is thought to have earned £9m – the biggest purse for a British fighter in five years – from his bout with Alvarez, which was fought at a catchweight of 155lbs.