Amir Khan has hit out at the rise of exhibition fights in boxing, insisting they are ‘dangerous’ for the sport.
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul is due to face lightweight world champion Gervonta Davis on November 14, while Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather have announced they will fight each other in early 2026.
Tyson will be just months away from his 60th birthday when he returns to the ring, having also previously fought Paul and Roy Jones Jr in recent years, while Mayweather turns 49 in February.
Paul and Tyson are also set to have huge size advantages over their respective opponents, and Khan is concerned it could all lead to someone getting “hurt badly”.
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“I hate seeing older fighters who have been retired that are coming back and fighting these young guys,” Khan said on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“Someone’s going to get hurt badly one day, and it’s not nice to see. It’s not nice to see the likes of Mike Tyson and Roy Jones, who are legends in the sport, even Mayweather, taking these fights with these YouTubers or these guys out there.”
Since hanging up his gloves in 2022, Khan has turned his hand to being a boxing promoter.
He will be promoting an event in Nigeria tonight under his AK Promotions banner, with cruiserweight contenders Brandon Glanton and Marcus Browne headlining.
Now that he is on the other side of the ropes, Khan wants his fighters to learn from the mistakes he made during his 17-year professional career so they can flourish inside and outside the ring.
“I’m getting into this promotion business because I want fighters to make money,” Khan explained.
“I don’t want fighters to make the same mistakes that I made. But at the end of the day, we’re prizefighters and we have to make the most money, win the titles and also live a good life once you retire.”
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