MANILA, Philippines - Ang second-round TKO win ni Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao kay Briton Ricky Hatton ang lalo pang nagpalakas ng loob ng sparmate niyang si Amir Khan para sa darating nitong laban.
Nakatakdang hamunin ng 22-anyos na si Khan, isa ring Briton kagaya ng 30-anyos na si Hatton, si Andreas Kotelnik para sa World Boxing Association (WBA) light welterweight belt sa Hunyo 27 sa O2 Arena sa London.
“The result has given everyone in the gym a real boost, and made me want to go out there and get a win against Kotelnik,” ani Khan sa panayam ng Telegraph.uk.co kahapon. “Having seen what Manny did, I want KO victory as well. It increases the pressure on me a bit, but then I’ve always thrived under pressure, and people are going to see that on June 27.”
Isa si Khan sa mga kinuhang sparmates ni American trainer Freddie Roach sa paghahanda ni Pacquiao kay Oscar Dela Hoya noong Disyembre 6 ng 2008.
Ang silver medalist sa 2004 Olympic Games sa Athens, Greece ay may taas na 5-foot-10 kumpara sa 5’11 na si Dela Hoya, tinalo ng 5’6 1/2 na si Pacquiao via eight-round TKO sa kanilang non-title welterweight fight.
Nakatulong kay Khan ang pakikipag-ispar kay Pacquiao sa panalo nito kay Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera noong Marso 14, 2009.
Sa kanyang paghahanda kay Kotelnik, may 31-2-1 win-loss-draw ring record kasama ang 13 KOs, hindi na makaka-spar ni Khan (20-1-0, 15 KOs) si Pacquiao.
“I don’t think I’ll be working with Manny Pacquiao like my last two fights, but there are still lots of quality fighters in the gym, and whoever I face won’t be holding back,” sabi ni Khan. “I’ve never felt this good before a fight, and I’ve still got a month and a half to go. People are going to see a really explosive performance from me against Kotelnik.”
Makakasama ni Pacquiao si Roach sa pagtanggap ng kani-kanilang boxing awards mula sa Boxing Writers’ Association at America (BWAA) sa Hunyo sa New York City. (RCadayona)