Amir Khan will not retire from boxing despite his brutal loss to Kell Brook in their grudge match.
That's according to Khan's promoter Ben Shalom who claims he will fight again 'whether I give him the rematch or not'.
The 35-year-old was stopped in the sixth round of a highly-anticipated catchweight clash in Manchester on February 19 as Brook claimed the bragging rights in style.
And while Khan has not won a fight for almost three years since July 2019, Shalom does not believe the Bolton boxer intends to hang up his gloves.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Shalom said: “One thing I’ve realised is that he’s not gonna [sic] stop fighting, whether I give him the rematch or not.
“That’s up to him, he’s a fighter, he knows what happened in that fight better than any of us.
“He won’t stop, I’m convinced from hearing what the camp are saying, from hearing what he’s saying, he wants to continue.
“He feels like he got perhaps his camp wrong. That’s up to him.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 19: Amir Khan (left) and Kell Brook during their Welterweight contest at AO Arena on February 19, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)
“I don’t think the rematch is viable right now, but he wants to continue.”
Shalom also insisted he would not be pressured into giving Khan a second crack at Brook.
He added: “Look, it has to work commercially.
“People might think, ‘Oh, Ben’s in trouble here.’ Honestly, we’re alright.
“It has to work commercially.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 19: Kell Brook (right) punches Amir Khan during their Welterweight contest at AO Arena on February 19, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)
“No, no, no no [asked if it's just a case of Khan activating the rematch clause].
“It has to work. It’s a split as well.
“It’s up to him, but also Kell and Sky have to agree.
“Look, we’ll see, he’s got a couple of weeks to decide what he wants to do.
“It’s up to him at the end of the day, but I don’t think it’ll be the rematch.”
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 19: Kell Brook (second left) celebrates victory over Amir Khan (right) during their Welterweight contest at AO Arena on February 19, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)
It seems Khan is hellbent on seeking revenge against Brook, but Ricky Hatton has advised him against it.
He wrote in his column for The Metro: “While it looked like he was ready to call it a day after losing to Kell Brook last month, the rumours are that Amir Khan is ready to activate his rematch clause and fight his old rival again.
“But I can’t help but think that Amir would be making a massive, massive mistake if he is to do that.
“Amir is 35 now and has been in the spotlight since he was 17. I just think there are too many miles on the clock. He has suffered a lot of heavy knockout defeats and been in a lot of wars over the years.
“Ultimately I think was the main reason for his performance that night against Kell, he just wasn’t at it.
“It all comes down to that. It’s been a long career for Amir, 40 professional fights against plenty of elite operators.
“He has done the country so proud with his accomplishments, winning his Olympic silver medal all those years ago in Athens before becoming a unified world champion by the age of 24. They are phenomenal achievements. His fighting style has entertained us for years.
“But I can’t help but think that fighting again would be a massive mistake.”
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