Former boxing world champion Amir Khan has announced his retirement from the sport at the age of 35.

Throughout the course of his time as a professional, and even as an amateur at the Olympics, Amir Khan made a name for himself as one of the most exciting British boxers in recent memory. His speed and precision made him a real problem for just about everyone he faced inside the squared circle and even though he didn’t always come out on top, he knew how to put on a show.

At the age of 22, he won the WBA light-welterweight title and became one of the youngest British professional world champions in the process. From there he proceeded to win the IBF crown against Zab Judah, with some dubbing this the peak of his career.

In later years he’s struggled with defeats to the likes of Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford but along the way, he’s built a legacy as one of the most recognisable sporting faces across the United Kingdom.

In the following tweet, Khan showed gratitude to those who have supported him over the years.

“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.”

The last ride

While he could always come back in the exhibition realm, the last big hurrah for Amir Khan took place in February when he finally collided with long-time rival Kell Brook at the AO Arena.

Despite having some nice moments across the six rounds that it lasted, Khan wasn’t able to handle the power of Brook and was ultimately finished via TKO.

At the time, it felt like the last major bout that was out there for him - and that appears to have been the case.

Khan hasn’t always been the biggest fan favourite in the sport and he’s had some low points to go alongside the highs. Still, his success speaks for itself, and there will be plenty of fighters out there attempting to base certain portions of their game on the ‘King’ model.