FOR those who still see the 17-year-old in Amir Khan’s face, his recent decision to retire from boxing will come as a pinch-me moment and perhaps even be a little hard to believe. Yet for those who see the 27 years of competition in Amir Khan’s legs, the decision will be viewed the way his combinations were in his fighting prime: well-picked and perfectly timed.
No longer 17, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, Khan is now 35, with 40 professional fights to his name and nothing left to prove. He has, through the course of those 40 pro fights, managed to win titles at lightweight and superlightweight and, more importantly, become the poster child for rebounding from adversity.