Amir Khan addresses potential bare knuckle boxing return

Amir Khan retired in 2022 following defeat to Kell Brook, but the Bolton man has teased a comeback on a few occasions since.

British boxing’s youngest Olympic Medalist and a world champion at just 22, Khan took UK fans on a thrilling ride during his campaign. Big wins against the likes of Marcos Maidana and Zab Judah were tempered by stoppage losses against Terence Crawford, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and more. No matter the result, Khan’s fights were always thrilling, perhaps because of the jeopardy of defeat.

The former unified champion looked far from his peak against Brook, but has entertained a return in the years since against Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao.

Speaking to Boxing News ahead of the Paulie Malignaggi vs Rolando Dy super-welterweight BKB title fight, Khan said he knows the interest is there, but that he is currently happy in retirement.

“I know they’ve been saying I should give it a try. Look, I’ve never shied away from a fight; you can see from my career. Who knows? Let’s see what happens. You want to get in there sometimes, but let’s see how things go. At the moment, I’m just enjoying it.”

Malignaggi, a former opponent of Khan’s, would go on to be dropped and stopped by Dy in the second round of the contest. It could perhaps serve as a warning to the Brit of the brutality of this particular combat sport.

Malignaggi is just one of several former boxers to attempt to reignite their career on the bare knuckle scene, with Victor Ortiz, Lee Selby and Yuriorkis Gamboa also joining the BKB promotion.