It took nearly six years before a claim could morph into a suggestion. The 2019 Terence Crawford-Amir Khan fight opened a can of worms. At the receiving end of Crawford’s merciless battering, an accidental sixth-round low blow convinced Khan’s corner to throw in the towel. During the post-fight conference, defending himself from a barrage of slanders, Khan insisted that he ‘didn’t quit.‘ The response only ended up provoking Crawford, who promptly fired back, “You didn’t quit? Tell the truth.”

Now Crawford is preparing for what could be the biggest fight of his career. On September 13, he will face Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas. Amir Khan, on the other hand, retired after the Kell Brook fight. This year, he launched his own Khan Promotions and is currently in Accra, Ghana, to oversee their debut event. But in between the transitions, news about crossover matchups against the likes of KSI and Jake Paul continued to filter. As he weighs his options, his old rival, Terence Crawford, however, suggests a fresh recourse. He’s not claiming anything anymore.

Terence Crawford to Amir Khan: Don’t jump the gun

Speaking about their upcoming showdown, Terence Crawford called out Canelo as the ‘most accomplished fighter in today’s sport of boxing.‘ He said, “I just want the opportunity, you know, to fight the best uh fighter in my generation that’s that’s out there.” Out of the blue, one of the reporters raised the Amir Khan question. “There are rumors, and he (Khan) actually said that he’s speaking to Jake Paul’s team today for a potential match-up.” There are talks with him and KSI as well. Amir Khan is stepping into the ring of the influencer scene. What happens with these guys you’ve been in the ring with?”

Now, for a champion who’s climbing up two weight classes (it was actually three) for a career-defining clash, Crawford felt that Amir Khan was rather ‘small‘ for Jake Paul. “Jake is too big, so we’re just going to leave it at that. Amir Khan is my guy, you know.” “Um, I just think Jake’s too big,” he said. Then what about KSI? For the former undisputed champion, the KSI-Jake Paul lineup looked a bit more promising.

It’s been some time since Amir Khan had been teasing a return.

The King charts his return

One of his great contemporaries, Manny Pacquiao, is making a comeback next month. But much earlier, a few reports suggested Khan had been looking forward to a potential matchup, possibly an exhibition with the boxing great. The news about a potential fight between Khan and fellow Briton, YouTuber-turned-fighter KSI, also emerged. But things don’t seem to have moved ever since.

Perhaps the most intriguing of all was the callout to Jake Paul last year. Ahead of their scheduled fight on July 20, Mike Tyson had taken ill, and the match had to be postponed. So Khan suggested his name as a substitute. “If the weights are right, [I would step in for Mike Tyson] I don’t mind giving away 20 pounds,” he reportedly said.

If that was not enough, ahead of the Paul-Tyson fight on November 15, Amir Khan seemingly forewarned Jake Paul that he might ‘slap’ and ‘sort him out’ if he beats up Iron Mike. A potential fight with Most Valuable Promotions’ new signee, Neeraj Goyat, also surfaced, but to no avail.

If he’s so keen for a comeback, then who, in your opinion, could be the best matchup for Amir Khan?