‘Khan Promotions’

Amir Khan, WBA Super Lightweight Champion

"Zab's a tricky southpaw who's won many world titles but I don't think this is his time. He doesn't have the hunger that I do. I don't think he can take the belt I have off of me."

"We have a game plan for the fight, so I know how to beat Judah and I'm already way ahead of schedule. This is going to be a big fight in the U.S., but it's also big for my fans in the U.K. and I'm happy for them to come over." More...

© Click Image for more photos by Jane Warburton

Saturday night, at the MEN Arena, Manchester, Khan Promotions / Hatton Promotions and Golden Boy hosted a fight-night which featured three Title fights besides the main event.

Rendall ‘2Tone’ Munroe (aka The Boxing Binman’) from Leicester, faced Belarusian – Andrei Isaeu for the WBA International Super-Bantamweight Title.

Popular Munroe was fighting for the first time since his World Title Clash with Toshiaki Nishioka in Japan six months ago, when Munroe put in a gutsy and respectable performance against the Champion but missed out by a Unanimous Points Decision.

Munroe has recently signed with Hatton Promotions and was thrilled to get the chance to fight for another Title after the disappointment of Tokyo.

It was great to hear legendary Michael Buffer announce Munroe as the ‘Boxing Binman’! and as usual – ‘2Tone’ received a warm reception from the thousands packed in to the MEN Arena. More...

© Click Image for more photos by Jane Warburton

Saturday night, at the MEN Arena, Manchester, Khan Promotions / Hatton Promotions and Golden Boy hosted a fight-night which also featured Craig Watson’s defence of the British Welterweight Title.

Watson of Manchester faced Lee ‘Lights Out’ Purdy of Colchester. This was Watson’s first defence of the title he won in February when he out-pointed John O’Donnell.

A steady opening round sees Southpaw Watson confidently throwing shots and doing his usual ‘walk-off’ while Purdy kept a high guard and looked to be patiently ‘weighing-up’ his opponent. The Colchester man seems to be ‘waiting’ for a gap and it comes soon enough as he clips Watson with a right hook to the face mid-way through the opener. The shot rocks back the head of Watson and he has already sustained what looks like a graze below the right eye. More...

© Click Image for more photos by Jane Warburton

At the MEN Arena, Manchester, Saturday night - Amir Khan retained his WBA Light Welterweight Title by a Technical Unanimous Decision after Challenger - Paul McCloskey was (controversially) stopped with a cut to the left eyebrow.

It was a fantastic atmosphere inside the MEN Arena as the 18,000 fans eagerly awaited the main event.

Legendary Michael Buffer announced the boxers and as fighting got under way, little did we know that the fight would be remembered – not for the performance of either man or the excitement of a thrilling fight – but for the angry scenes following a premature end.

Khan came out fast and busy as round one began, while calm McCloskey – with gloves dropped low – kept centre of ring. Khan whipped out the long-reaching lefts and rights with lightening speed but McCloskey looks unfazed as he fends off the Champion. ‘Dudey’ lands a decent swinging right hook mid-way through the second round but is less busy than ‘King’ Khan – seemingly ‘waiting’.

Mid-way through the third McCloskey gets in with a right, but continues to ‘wait’ while Khan has moments of frenzied cluster punches (a bit cat-like I thought!)

Just before the closing bell of the third frame, Referee Luis Pabon calls both men together after Khan hits ‘back of head’. Luis Pabon though would be far more notable for other reasons tonight! More...

Click the above Image for more Photos from this Event

Today, at The Triangle Shopping Centre, Manchester, England, Amir Khan (Bolton) and Paul McCloskey (Dungiven) both weighed in at 9 stone 13 pounds ahead of their WBA Light-Welterweight Title Clash tomorrow night.

Master of Ceromonies Legend - Michael Buffer introduced the boxers, with McCloskey (the Challenger) weighing in first. As he stood on the scales - Matchroom Promoter – Eddie Hearn brandished a t-shirt to tease the Khan contingent (not least because one side showed the Sky Box Office Logo and the words ‘See you there soon’ !)

A cool-looking Khan was cheered by the ‘Khan Army’ of fans lining the stairwells of the shopping centre. It was a great atmosphere and it may have been Manchester – but McCloskey too had lots of rowdy support from his Irish fans.

‘King Khan Returns’ – the WBA Light-Welterweight Title Contest promoted by Khan Promotions, Hatton Promotions and Golden Boy, takes place at the MEN Arena, Manchester, tomorrow night (Saturday) and is screened on Primetime PPV and HBO