Amir Khan at ease and focused before Luis Collazo duel in Las Vegas
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/apr/29/amir-khan-luis-collazo-las-vegas Version 0 of 1. In a penthouse overlooking the night lights of Las Vegas, life can appear deceptively fine. In the movie The Gambler, James Caan stares out at the seductive neon and declares, just before his inevitable downfall at the hands of the casino wise guys: "I'm blessed." Amir Khan surveys such a glistening landscape from high up in the Mandalay Bay Hotel as we talk on the eve of yet another make-or-break fight in his interesting career. He has gambled in his time, too, winning more often than losing, but the stakes have risen immeasurably of late. The fighter too has been blessed, not with chutzpah and fingers made nimble with the mastery of cards and dice but fists quick enough to win him an Olympic silver medal 10 years ago this August – against the Cuban legend Mario Kindelan –followed by a world title, several million pounds and a lifestyle that invites understandable complacency as well as the attention of hacks who earn their living at the front end of tabloid newspapers. A couple of months ago, they were on his metaphorical doorstep again, alleging he had "romped" with a 23-year-old model in Bradford. Khan and his pregnant wife, Faryal, rode that little dust storm and are looking forward to the arrival of a baby girl at the end of May. Faryal, the daughter of a wealthy New York family, stood by her man and Tweeted, "I've never been one to defend myself or my relationship. At the end of the day my husband & I know the REAL truth and that's what matters." These distractions seem not to have disturbed Khan's karma in an extended preparation for his fight against Luis Collazo across the road at the MGM Grand on Saturday night. Indeed he looks disarmingly at ease about the prospect of fighting the seasoned and dangerous New York southpaw – who ran Ricky Hatton close here eight years ago and recently knocked out Victor Ortiz – for a trinket called the WBC silver welterweight title, the Bolton's first proper assignment at 10st 7lb. More pointedly, this is an audition to challenge Floyd Mayweather, whose bill-topping defence of the WBC's full welter championship against the WBA champion Argentinian Marcos Maidana will be his 46th contest in an unbeaten career and the third of six farewell bouts in his contract with Showtime. Khan looks content in body and mind. He has filled out splendidly since his move up from light-welterweight, where he won and lost his world title, and the prospect of fatherhood delights him. "My wife is due at the end of May so a break from boxing will give me a chance to spend time with family," he says looking momentarily past Collazo. "It definitely will be the biggest event in my life. It feels good. I've got a great family. The wife's at home [in Bolton] and she's being looked after really well. She's cool, happy. She never watches the fights anyway. "In a way, it has made me train even harder because I know I can't have her worrying. I don't want her being scared or anything. I just want a very good clinical performance so that it's not stressful for her. "[Having a baby] definitely will be life-changing. The last few years it's been crazy. My life's been crazy. I've lived that single life. It's a good time now for me to settle down, to spend time with the wife and have my own little family. I think it's going to help me with my boxing, for sure. It will keep me settled. I now know I've got my wife and my baby to look after." As they know it is going to be a girl, Khan has left the naming to his wife, and he is relieved that there have been no complications. "Everything's cool, she's OK. They say it's a very active baby – footwork, movement. I wonder where she gets that from." On whether or not Faryal will ever have a say in when he stops fighting, he says: "Boxing has been my life and I think she respects that. It's got me to where I am. I think she's always going to want to say something, but I will know myself if things aren't going right for me, if I start seeing myself dipping and making mistakes. I will be the one to walk away. I never want to let boxing retire me. I want to retire myself. I've seen so many fighters make mistakes, take too many shots. I'll never let it get that far. "Having a family will make that even more important, a baby girl to look after. I will be there for the big event, for sure. I think I'm going to be fine. The job I have is very tough. I know how to control nerves. And it was always going to be a Bolton baby, definitely. There was talk about having the baby in America, and I said: 'You have to have it in the UK, man. Got to be Bolton.'" He has come a long way, has the handsome young son of a cab driver: from Bolton to Las Vegas. You get the feeling, for all that has happened to him, Amir Khan is not about to let the fairytale turn sour now. |