Finally, after several years of “will they, won’t they,” Amir Khan and Kell Brook will lock horns in a much-anticipated grudge match at the Manchester Arena on Saturday.

Despite all the hype, Khan, who is a former unified junior welterweight titlist, is calm and focused on the task ahead.

“My job is to go in there and win and show who the better fighter is,” Khan (34-5, 21 knockouts) told The Ring. “I’m not going to get involved in all the trash-talking. I’m just going to do what I do best. I think that’s giving him a good beating.

“I think that timing-wise, it’s worked out well for me. I’ve not really taken much punishment in boxing. Being knocked out by one-punch in fights is probably better than taking numerous punches and having eye sockets broken and other injuries. Outside the sport, I live a clean life, whereas Kell is sometimes up and down.”

The 35-year-old Khan, who headed to Colorado Springs to train with Brian “Bomac” McIntyre for this bout, feels the timing was never quite right for the fight to take place in the past.

“I was campaigning in America and making a name there and Kell was fighting the British-level fighters,” Khan offered. “But now, I think it makes sense for us both to take the fight.

“He’s been there and won a world title. I won world titles and I think, at this stage of our careers, it’s about giving the fans the fight they want. This is the reason I took the fight.”

The popular Brit feels that Brook, over the years, has tried to piggyback off his success.

“The hate and the jealousy, knowing I was getting bigger fights, beating the bigger names,” said Khan, pulling no punches. “I had the bigger name in the U.K. I had to do it the hard way. I wasn’t given the [world] titles or given the chance to fight in the Olympics. I had to work hard towards it. That tells me I’ve always been a harder worker than Kell. I’ve got that extra edge.”

Photo by Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images)

Khan is well aware of the potential danger Brook presents, but believes he has gained the requisite experience from his extensive amateur and professional career to come out victorious.

“I’m at a level now in my career where I’ve fought every style that’s out there,” Khan said. “He’s a decent fighter. I’m not saying he’s a bad fighter. I’m just going to go in there and see what he’s like on the night.

“We know he’s had the injuries to the eye sockets, but obviously I’ve trained for the best Kell Brook, with the speed, the power, the movement he has. I’m not going to be training for a normal Kell Brook. I’m going to be training for the best of the best. No matter what, we’ll be ready for whatever he brings to the table.”

Khan see’s this fight as the perfect springboard to something bigger, but doubts that’s the case for his rival.

“I feel that Kell Brook’s taking this fight more for a payday than him continuing his boxing career,” said the ex-titleholder. “There were talks that if he didn’t take this fight, he was going to retire.

“As you get older your punch resistance does go down. The fights he’s had, the punches he’s taken in his career, it takes its toll. Now he’s in a position, he has to be very careful. Is he going to be the same fighter he was maybe five years ago? I don’t think so. He needs to understand, I’m still the fresher fighter, I’m still the better fighter, and I’m the stronger fighter.

“He may have the power, but it’s about using that power the right way. Does he know how to do it without getting caught? He’s going to make mistakes in the fight and we can capitalize on that.”

The bout will take place at a catchweight of 149 pounds, much to Khan’s chagrin.

“I think it’s silly. I wanted the fight to be at 147,” he said. “The reason the fight didn’t happen at that weight was because if I didn’t agree to [149 pounds], the fight wouldn’t have happened and I’d have got all the blame.

“I think it’s more to do with the gloves. I think Kell wants to fight with the 10-ounce gloves. I think that’s the reason he wants to have this fight above 147, so we don’t use the 8-ounce gloves, which I’m a bit gutted about. He’s trying to be smart with the injuries he’s got.”

On the flipside, however, Khan will get the better of things financially.

“The purse side of it, it’s more favoring me – 60/40 my way,” he said. “I had to give away a couple of pounds. Kell admitted I’m the bigger name and fighter, but the weight kind of favored Kell.

“The amount of interest in the fight is massive. I’m glad it’s on Sky Box Office because Eddie [Hearn] offered a little bit more money for the fight on DAZN. I think Eddie’s a great promoter, it had nothing to do with him promoting it or not. It was more about making sure we get the most people viewing this fight. That’s the reason I picked Sky over DAZN. In the future, let’s see how things play out. I still feel I have a few fights left in me, and boxing is on a high in the U.K. It would be nice to be a part of that again.”

Khan-Brook will be broadcast live on Sky Box Office in the U.K. and on ESPN+ in the U.S.

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KELL BROOK: ALL I WANT TO DO RIGHT NOW IS HURT AMIR KHAN

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected] and you can follow him on Twitter @AnsonWainwright

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