Amir Khan claims dethroning Terence Crawford at Madison Square Garden on Saturday would top getting married in New York.
Brit Khan is back in the Big Apple this weekend for his first big match-up since getting hitched to his New Yorker wife Faryal in 2013. And as much as he loved their big day, he claims beating Crawford, who is No 2 in boxing's pound-for-pound rankings, would be even better.
“Winning this fight would be my biggest win in boxing,” said Lancashire's former unified light-welterweight champion.
“Would beating Crawford in New York top my wedding day in New York? Yes, definitely. The wife will kill me for saying that! But it would be in terms of an achievement.
“I’m putting everything on the line and I want it more than him. This means so much for my legacy, this fight will be talked about for years and years.”
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Khan is a huge underdog against Crawford and the unbeaten WBO welterweight king has won 11 straight world title fights at three different weights. By contrast, Khan has not held a world title since 2012 when he lost to Danny Garcia and was floored by Samuel Vargas in his last fight when he looked unconvincing.
Yet he claims Crawford and his promoter Bob Arum have dropped a clanger by choosing him as their next opponent because they are judging him on his Vargas performance.
The 32-year-old from Bolton has a 100 per cent record against southpaws and bullishly says he is ready for anything the switch-hitter tries.
“I think they’ve made a mistake fighting me,” said Khan, who flew into New York on Monday night.
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“I’ve been in the game for a long time, 38 fights, and sometimes it’s hard to motivate yourself for the likes of Samuel Vargas because you’re supposed to just turn up and win. But I up my game against the better opponents.
“Crawford didn’t look great in his last fight. I’m a sharper puncher with more power. I’m going to be smart. If he comes to fight it will be his biggest mistake.
“I have a good record against southpaws and 30 of my opponents have been orthodox so I know how to deal with both. I have had good sparring partners, who can switch, in the gym so I have done everything I need to do.”
* Amir Khan challenges Terence Crawford for the WBO welterweight belt, live on BT Sport Box Office, on Saturday. For more information, go to www.bt.com/btsportboxoffice
