Amir Khan, British boxer of Pakistan origin, is gearing up to fight India's Neeraj Goyat in Jeddah on July 12 for the WBC Pearl World Championship. But any chat with Khan is incomplete without talking about India's boxing star Vijender Singh. While a lot of Indian fans feel that Vijender is one of the best that India have got, Khan believes that the Olympic medallist still has some time to go before he can be compared to the likes of Khan.
"He has a long way to go, he has had smaller fights. He needs to step up and people want him to step up and fight for the world titles. Wish him all the best and he can go far if he trains hard and stays focused, but as he is getting older, it will only get harder for him and he needs to move quickly because age does catch up on you," he told IANS.
Coming to the bout against Goyat, Khan said that he will be looking to stay on his toes as the Indian is a quality boxer and wouldn't need a second invitation to come out on top.
"There will be a lot of strength conditioning and boxing training. Hardwork is the key and I have to be focused and ensure that my fitness and everything is high," he smiled.
This is the first time that Khan will be fighting an Indian and he believes that both the boxers will look to make the country proud.
"There is always a first time and it will be a great experience for both of us. Neeraj has a great style of boxing and very different. We are both going to be smart and look to fly the flag high for our respective countries," he pointed.
While Khan lost his last bout to WBO champion Terence Crawford, the boxer doesn't wish to keep thinking about it and wants to focus on the next fight in Saudi Arabia.
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"The training for the fight against Neeraj will start on Monday. Losing the last fight was like getting hit below the belt, but you have to move forward and keep working hard. I am at the peak of my career and just want to keep working towards my goals," he said.
Asked to pick a favourite between two legends Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Khan said: "Mayweather is a better boxer for me because he is technically better and has good hand eye co-ordination."
--IANS
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