Amir Khan has promised to knock Kell Brook out when the pair meet in the New Year, and confirmed he plans to retire following the fight.
Khan and Brook are set to finally meet in a grudge match on February 19 in Manchester, having called each other out for years at various points.
Despite the bout being past its sell-by date, with both fighters in the twilight of their careers, there remains plenty of interest with tickets selling out in quick time.
The fight could well prove to be a final outing for both Khan and Brook, with the latter confirming his plans to retire during an Instagram Live post.
And the Bolton fighter is looking to go out with a bang, promising to put Brook “to rest”.
“My aim is to hurt and knockout Kell Brook. I’m training every day,” Khan said. “I’ve never trained this hard in my life. The last time I trained like this was in the Olympics.
“I leave it to God which round I knock Kell Brook out. I am going to win the fight, 100%. I’m not just doing this for the money and saying that I’m fighting him.
“I’m doing this to win. I’ve achieved a lot and made a lot in the sport, but this is one fight that I want to put him to rest—this whole issue of me fighting Kell Brook. I’m just going to put it to rest.
“Look, Kell Brook can train as hard as he wants for this fight. I honestly do not care. Look at the skill-set that I’ve got. Look at the speed, power, and movement. There are levels in this game.”
Khan’s comments come after Ricky Hatton tipped him to have the upper hand against Brook, with the legendary former Manchester fighter saying: “I think Amir might have a little bit too much zip and might be a little bit too quick for him. It’ll be a good fight.
“It won’t be like a match where one guy is a little bit past it, and the other is in their prime.”
Questions have been asked about the appetite for a fight between Khan and Brook now, with both reaching the end of their respective careers.
Khan though insists he wants to make a statement against Brook, adding: “We want the best Kell Brook to be there, so we don’t have any excuses after the fight. I want to put him to rest. A lot of people say I have the speed over him. I don’t think it makes a difference.
“All this bull s*** he’s saying about ‘timing beats speed.’ Yeah, do you still have the same timing as you did ten years ago? Come on, are you still the same fighter you were ten years ago?
“My speed is still there. I’m still exciting, still strong, and on the game. I hope he comes trained and ready because I want to give the fans a massive fight. I want to give them a good fight.
“I’m not here making the numbers. I’m here to win. I want to put this guy to rest and send a statement out to the world as well. People ask what I’m doing after this fight. I’m done, man.
“I’m going to see where life takes me. What is there to do in the sport of boxing after this fight? Not much. I did everything I wanted to do. My dream was to fight in Vegas. My dream was to fight in New York at Madison Square Garden.”
