Amir Khan wants his upcoming boxing match with former MMA fighter Neeraj Goyat in Saudi Arabia next month to bring neighbours India and Pakistan closer together.
Khan as a British Pakistani and a Muslim, sees his fight with India’s Neeraj Goyat in Jeddah on July 12 that will hopefully bring fans form the two countries with a very contentious history together.
The event in Jeddah will see a lot of high profile guests including Pakistan Prime Minister and former cricket captain Imran Khan.
The British Pakistani boxer recently lost to WBO welterweight world champion Terence Crawford in New York City in April.
Goyat has won 11 and drawn two of his 16 bouts, Khan will not be going easy on his training regime, especially after favourite and triple word title holder Anthony Joshua suffer a shock defeat to John Ruiz.
“Things can go wrong, and we all saw what happened with Anthony Joshua getting knocked out by a fighter people thought he’d destroy, so that’s why I have to bring my top game to Jeddah,” he said. “I can’t afford to make any mistakes.”
The 32 year-old, who is of Pakistani decent, has recently spoken about his wish to fight in the Middle East specifically in Dubai. However, those plans have not yet come to a fruition.
“It will be the first time a British Pakistani will fight an Indian boxer, which eventually will bring the two nations together,” added Khan.
“I’m a firm believer in sport being a great healer. I would like to thank the Saudi government and General Sports Authority for giving me this opportunity.”
However Khan’s dream fight he told Esquire Middle East, is right here in Dubai, and would be against Filipino boxing star and now politician Manny Pacquiao.
And it seems that it might just become a reality. According to Yahoo Sport UK, a date has finally been set for the fight between Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao if reports are to be believed for November 9.
