BoxRec

the sun

Aud help me
From VIKKI ORVICE
in Cyprus


AUDLEY HARRISON flew in to the Olympic training camp last night in a bid to help teenage sensation Amir Khan.

Khan, just 17, will be one of the youngest competitors in Athens and Britain’s ONLY boxer.

But Harrison, who won gold in Sydney in the super-heavyweight division before turning professional, has pledged to pass on his experience at the British training camp in Cyprus in the hope that Bolton-born Khan can follow in his footsteps.

Khan, nicknamed Golden Boy, is already a European lightweight champion and regarded as an amazing talent who has the potential to earn a medal in Greece.

If not, he plans to continue through to Beijing in 2008.

He said: “I don’t want to turn professional until after 2008.

“I’m under no pressure as the only British boxer here. This is a bonus and an experience and I’m looking forward to going to Beijing as well.”

Khan, whose cousin is Lancashire cricketer Sajid Mahmood, said: “I’ve spoken to Audley over the phone a few times although it was difficult to keep in contact for a while because we were both training so much.

“He’s coming over here so I will be able to get some more tips from him.

“He’s already told me about life in the Olympic village, how the boxing draw works and how I need to be mentally confident before I get in the ring.

“I think he’ll be telling me what it means to win gold and how it feels. I know speaking to him in person will make a difference because he has been there and done it.

“I watched him win the gold medal on TV four years ago. I never thought then I would be in Athens. Maybe Beijing but never Athens.

“Now Audley has seen videos of me fighting. He has already told me I have a good style, one that is capable to getting me in contention.

“It’s a dream come true for me to be boxing at the Olympics and to have the support of Audley is a massive bonus.

“My hero is Muhammad Ali and he won Olympic gold when he was 18. That gives me the confidence to know it is possible.”

Khan, who trains in Bury, started boxing in 1995 as a nine-year-old.

He said: “I was so hyperactive my father Shajaad took me to a boxing club to burn off all my energy.

“I never got into fights, I just had bags of energy. I loved boxing and it went on from there.”

Khan, who won gold at the European Championships earlier this year and took the world junior lightweight crown in June, added: “I started thinking about qualifying for Athens last December.

“Everything has happened so quickly but it is all good experience.

“It would have been good to have a couple of other British boxers here but I’ve been talking to the swimmers and badminton players and will be sharing a room with a weightlifter.

“I’ve never been to a multi-sport event before and it’s just beginning to sink in how big the Olympics are.

“I’m aiming to get into the medal stages. The draw is on Friday and it’s not seeded so I could get anyone, even the reigning Olympic champion.

“It doesn’t bother me, I will box whoever I get. I just need some luck behind me.

“It is possible I can win gold. And even if I do I will go on and defend my title in Beijing.

“My aim is to get there, try my best and see what happens.”

Ian Irwin, performance director of British boxing, added: “Amir is a rich and wonderful talent who qualified through Europe, arguably the toughest continent for boxers to gain Olympic qualification.

“He has already shown the desire and determination to be successful on the world stage and, given a reasonable draw and an average amount of luck, I am confident he can finish amongst the medals in Athens.”

“I’m under no pressure as the only British boxer here. "

I believe him, he seems totally unfazed by it all. I am going to have a punt on him to win gold, should be decent odds I reckon.

Is it a case of one defeat and your out or does a first round defeat allow a second chance?

If you lose once you go home.

Kilburn wrote:If you lose once you go home.

unless it's the semi final

So Khan v Kindelan could be a first round match

Hah good point adam. God I really hope Khan can do some good here. He certainly sounds like he's got his feet on the ground.

Surely they will be seeded, let me look at the olympic boxing programme.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:Surely they will be seeded, let me look at the olympic boxing programme.

Check out Emile's thread on the amateur scene. Plenty of info on there, and it looks like no seeds.

That is really fornicating stupid. Mind you olympic boxing is pretty fornicating stupid full stop these days. It bears less and less relation to the pro game, and you can win fights by simply wheeling around the ring flicking out jabs nowadays.

Audley should fly out to himself and salvage his own career.

Dimitar Schtilianov of Bulgaria is European champion.

Maybe Harrison out there to sign Khan. saying sign for me and dont sign for you know who

one should give him another nickname "golden boy" is reserved by lady de la Tortilla-Kournikova!

Audley should fly out to himself and salvage his own career.

I think he should be commended for helping out other British boxers. Somehow I can see everyone getting on his back for it though.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:That is really fornicating stupid. Mind you olympic boxing is pretty fornicating stupid full stop these days. It bears less and less relation to the pro game, and you can win fights by simply wheeling around the ring flicking out jabs nowadays.

The worrying thing is he could be knocked out (of the comp) in round 1 by Kindelan and if the rules remain the same for Beijing in 2008 he could meet Kindelan mark 2 and the same thing could happen. I'm not counting against Khan beating Kindelan though so this is very theoretical.

Khan didn't win the European Championships in Croatia? Thought he got beat in the 1st round actually. I think they mean the comp in Bulgaria.

I'm just praying he doesn't draw Kindelan.

Statistically he won't, but you never know eh.

He has nothing to prove to anyone really, and only needs to do his best.

And call me a cynic, but when watching the ABAs a while ago they had people like Steve Bunce & Ritchie on TV crowing on about "what a high level of competition this is" and how the people winning ABA titles are the real deal etc.

Well if so, why are they so piss poor on the european & world level? Khan was the only qualifier and nobody else even came CLOSE really. It's not as if we had a host of "nearly men" is it....

Khan is the shining light, amongst what is evidently a pretty piss poor amatuer contingent in this country.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:That is really fornicating stupid. Mind you olympic boxing is pretty fornicating stupid full stop these days. It bears less and less relation to the pro game, and you can win fights by simply wheeling around the ring flicking out jabs nowadays.

Well, that seems to have worked pretty well in the pros for Sven Ottke.

Interesting that he talks of staying amateur until at least 2008. I think this is a really good thing, he would boost the profile of the amateur game and 21 is a good age to turn pro, 17 is too early in my opinion when people will moan about him being fed stiffs for the first 3 years.

Equally they would moan about him being rushed were he guided to a world title shot at the age of 19.

I wonder however if he would stay amateur were he to win gold in 2 weeks time?

Goz wrote:Interesting that he talks of staying amateur until at least 2008. I think this is a really good thing, he would boost the profile of the amateur game and 21 is a good age to turn pro, 17 is too early in my opinion when people will moan about him being fed stiffs for the first 3 years.

Equally they would moan about him being rushed were he guided to a world title shot at the age of 19.

I wonder however if he would stay amateur were he to win gold in 2 weeks time?

I think he's said he would but you never know.

Here's the American entry at lightweight,Vicente Escobedo -




http://www.maxboxing.com/Gerbasi/Gerbasi081004.asp

Interesting how in this month's Boxing Monthly, Khan states that Audley didn't return a number of his phone calls for the last few months. Only the cynic would say the presence of press photographers (and a free holiday in Cyprus) changed his mind.

Goz wrote:
I wonder however if he would stay amateur were he to win gold in 2 weeks time?

Well... he has said he will.