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Amir Khan has stated this week that he is ready for his British lightweight rivals and insisted that they need to fight him now. History making WBC World Youth Champion John Murray has accepted the challenge.
Bolton¹s 2004 Olympic silver medallist has claimed ahead of only his 12th professional fight this weekend that he is ready to face the likes of British lightweight champion Jonathan Thaxton.
Murray, promoted by Mick Hennessy like Thaxton, has dismissed his claims as an insult. But the WBC Youth Champion is willing to give Khan the opportunity to back up his boast by facing him in his next contest.
Murray, from Manchester, claims an all-Lancashire scrap with Khan would decide who the best young lightweight in Britain really is, without the hype.
Murray, 22, won the Boxing Writers ³Young Boxer of the Year Award² for 2006, and is set to gain valuable experience and exposure by fighting on the undercard of the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather mega-fight in Las Vegas on May 5.
He has stopped half of his 20 victims inside the distance, has challenged fellow unbeaten prospect Khan, 20, to meet him for his WBC Youth World Title on the show in the capital of boxing and back up his claims that he is ready to face anyone in Britain.
³It¹s a joke, an insult to established fighters proven at Championship level to start saying that you are ready for them and that they need to fight you before you move on to bigger things,² said Murray.
³Jon Thaxton has established himself as a British champion and has been in the game years, so it¹s a bit big-mouthed to start calling him out before he has even fought some of the other top prospects coming through.
³But I noticed he didn¹t mention my name in there and didn¹t offer me out. He knows of me and has seen me fight, but he doesn¹t say he wants to fight me because he knows out of everyone coming through I¹m the best.
³He knows it would be too much of a risk fighting me. We¹re both from the northwest. It would be a massive fight there and for boxing in general in this country.
³I have called you out before. I will defend against you no problem. We are both young and the same weight. Stop talking rubbish! Put up or shut up.
³I was the first British fighter to win the WBC World Youth Title. It¹s a title designed for fighters who will go on to win full honours like Khan is saying he will do.
³I’ve heard he¹s mad to fight in Vegas, so why not fight me on May 5th. I would mow him down inside the distance.
³I would be up for defending against him on the show and it would be a big deal over there too. The Americans like me; I have fought over there and went down well. It would be great for both of us. He says he¹s ready to fight anyone in Britain. Well he needs to fight me now then, on potentially the biggest event of all time.²
