Toss up: Amir Khan

We play a round of Toss Up with Olympic boxing champion Amir Khan


June 12, 2016

We play a round of Toss Up with Olympic boxing champion Amir Khan; he gets the gold medal here too, as he checks out his last dialled number, gives us a sneak into his playlist and tells us what the best part of being Amir Khan is

1. What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment?

The biggest accomplishments in my career have to be boxing in America and topping the bills, winning world titles, and also going to the Olympic games and winning the medal there.

2. What three things can you never leave your house without?

My mobile phone, my car keys, and my wallet — even though I keep losing mine.

3. When travelling to Pakistan, what is one food item you must eat?

I love coming to Pakistan in the summer, when it’s mango season. The mangoes here are amazing, in the UK you don’t get fresh ones.



4. The hardest fight you ever had to play?

The Olympic finals were very hard because I was up against a double Olympic champion and I was so young. Physically, you could see that his experience was so ahead of mine. But it was a great experience for me, and amazing to be in the ring with such a great fighter.

5. What is the best thing about living in England?

My family and friends are there and I’m used to the surroundings. My favourite spots, including a few Italian restaurants that I frequent, are there. I always go to my academy to relax and chill in my office or do my training. I hit the gym or if I want to relax: I go into the sauna or the steam room and no one can bother me.

6. If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be and what would you say?

I love Muhammad Ali and I actually got a chance to meet him not once but twice. I would’ve loved to have met him when he was in his prime, and get to know him on a personal level, train with him, learn from him and just be with him.

7. The last dialled number on your phone?

My wife.

8. What would the title of your biopic be, and who would you cast as yourself?

I’d cast myself, because it won’t be real any other way. The title could be At The Top or Up And Down because with boxing, one day you’re up and one day you’re down. My career has been all over the place too, I’ve experienced everything from winning fights, to losing them.



9. What is your last thought before sleeping?

When I go to sleep, I like to have my little girl next to me, and just give her a kiss. She is the last person I look at or think  about before I go to sleep.

10. Other then England, which other country would you live in?

I spend a lot of time in America, I do a lot of training there and I like living there. I like coming to Pakistan too, it’s like coming to a place where you get nothing but love, and you can tell it’s from the heart.

11. What sport do you enjoy watching?

I like watching football, and sometimes cricket. Not the test matches, they take too long, but the one-day 20/20 games, they’re faster.

12. At what age did you first start boxing, and why?

I started boxing when I was eight. I was very hyperactive when I was younger, and I found boxing to be something I could channel my energy into. It’s funny because my two-year-old daughter is so hyperactive too and I think to myself, wow, was I really like that? There must be something in my genes.



13. Choose an alternate career for yourself?

I always had big dreams, so if not another sport, it would be something like business.

14. What three qualities does a person need to be a boxer?

You have to be dedicated, disciplined, and have focus.

15. Describe your wife in three words:

A nice person, innocent and beautiful.

16. The first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

I grab my phone and check my messages.



17. What songs are on the top of your workout playlist?

50 Cent, a bit of Drake, I’ve met him a few times so it makes it even better, and also dance music. It’s upbeat, and sometimes to get into it you need faster songs.

18. What are you looking forward to the most in 2016?

There are a lot of big things happening in my life, in boxing and outside as well. I want to fight at the end of the year, and I just opened doors to the first Amir Khan Academy in Pakistan.

19. What is the best part about being Amir Khan?

I’m a normal guy, I respect everyone and everything around me. I’d rather be seen as a people’s champion, instead of just a champion. That’s when you know you’re loved not only because of what you do, but also because of the person you are.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ