Khan, Amir (1986– )

English boxer. He rose to fame at the 2004 Athens Olympics when, aged just 17, he won a silver medal in the lightweight division after narrowly losing the final on a points decision to Mario Kindelan of Cuba, who retained his Olympic title. In 2005 he turned professional, winning his first professional fight in July of that year when he beat David Bailey by technical knockout after less than two minutes of the first round. In June 2008, he won his eighteenth consecutive professional fight.

Career highlights

Professional record (2005– ) total: 18; wins: 18 (14 inside the distance); draws: 0; defeats: 0

As an amateur fighter, he won three English schools titles and three junior Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) titles, before winning a gold medal at the 2003 Junior Olympics. In 2004 he won gold medals at the European Student Championships and the World Junior Championships. He qualified for the Olympics later that year by winning the Strandja Cup in Korea after just seven senior fights.

In the last fight of his amateur career, Khan avenged his Olympic defeat by beating Mario Kindelan 19–13 on points in his hometown of Bolton.