Khan April Bout Delayed

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

File:  Amir Khan’s new coach Virgil Hunter

Ukranian boxer Vycheslav Senchenko has turned down a proposed fight with British-Pakistani boxing star Amir Khan. The two had been scheduled to fight on April 20th, but have now seen the engagement fall apart after a disagreement over the fighting weight. Senchenko refused to fight at Khan’s preferred weight of 144 lbs.

Khan’s American sponsor, the Showtime network, hopes that Khan will stay Stateside and accessible to the lucrative American market rather than fight in England. Richard Schaefer, CEO of Khan’s promoters Golden Boy, explained: “Showtime is open to doing a fight from England, but the question will then be the license fee and the opponent. When Amir entered into the multi-fight deal, it was tied to some pretty big names – but if you are fighting in the UK, it doesn’t make sense for the big names because of the time difference. The fee for an overseas fight will be less, so we are talking about it.”

Khan had hoped to avenge his friend Ricky Hatton, who had lost a bout to Senchenko. His record rose to 27-3-0 (19 KOs) after December’s demolition of previously unbeaten Mexican Carlos Molina, and the former champion will hope to maintain his momentum. The April fight will be Khan’s second with new coach Virgil Hunter, who replaced Freddie Roach after the devastating fourth-round knockout defeat to welterweight king Danny Garcia last July. He will now reportedly consider Mexicans Humberto Soto and Pablo Cesar Cano for a possible matchup. And if all goes well, Khan could well be on a path towards a rematch with Garcia himself.

File:  Boxer Amir Khan among reporters.

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