Amir Khan retires 

Former two division world champion Amir Khan has announced his retirement, after twenty-seven glittering years in Boxing.

Amir, who was born and raised in Bolton, Northern England, started boxing aged eleven. By the age of seventeen he`s won a Silver Medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. The youngest British boxer to ever achieve this. Amir`s amateur career was 101-9. His last amateur bout was against Cuban Mario Kindelan, who`d defeated him for gold, and Amir won the thereafter fight. 

As a pro there was much to admire about Amir record of 34-6, 21 KO`s . Characteristically he never took the easier route, always seeking out and demanding the most exacting challenges. He came unstuck when Breidis Prescott who stopped him in a round.  But he bounced back to defeat legendary Marco Antonio Barrera with a TD in five rounds, after Marco has suffered a bad cut due to an accidental clash of heads in the first. 

A lion-hearted win over rugged Marcos Maidana. Amir dropped him in the first with body shots, but resilient Marcos survived, fought back and had Amir in all sorts of trouble in the tenth. Amir dug deep, rallied to win the last two rounds and a UD.  A TKO setback against Danny Garcia, but then a fabulous win over former two time world champion Devon Alexander.

Amir audaciously moved up two weight divisions to take on Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and was winning on points in the sixth, when he got caught and KO`d by a mighty right.  Amir`s final fight was in February when he was stopped by Kell Brook. 

In hanging up his gloves Amir said: “I`ve fought against the biggest names in the sport and become a world champion twice. I`ve been in boxing all my life and so I`m going to miss it. I`m blessed. I`ve had such an amazing career for twenty-seven years. Boxing has given me a platform, which I`ve used to help and inspire others.”

Amir has created The Amir Khan Foundation, and The Amir Khan Academy for boxing prospects, which is based in Islamabad, Pakistan and he`s President of the World Boxing Council Middle Eastern Federation. 

Two Pakistani quotes epitomize Amir Khan.  Mahira Khan wrote: “No matter how tough my life was, I was always looking up at the sky and wishing for good things.”

And Mohsin Hamid said: “Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.”