Monday 3 August 2015 16:26, UK
WBA world welterweight champion Keith Thurman has challenged Amir Khan to face him before the end of the year.
'One Time' defended his crown in July with a seventh-round stoppage of Luis Collazo - a former Khan opponent - and is determined to secure a lucrative defence against the Bolton fighter next up.
Thurman told behindthegloves.com: "Personally, I'm highly interested in an Amir Khan fight. A lot of fans are interested in it. We both fought Luis Collazo and Julio Diaz so we have two common opponents.
"He's been at welterweight for a while now and he should be comfortable at 147lbs, so that's the fight that I would like to make happen.
"A lot of fans think he's fast enough and might have the proper skills to fully expose Keith 'One Time' Thurman. With that, I'd like to shut all that out with a simple, legitimate match.
"You can talk about how he did that to Collazo and Collazo hit me with a body shot but Diaz hit him on the chin and dropped him. Diaz didn't touch me with anything and I made him retire.
"We can keep talking all day. I want to see some paperwork. I want to see a contract. I want to hear a date. What do you think, Amir? Are you going to be ready in October, November? You want a Christmas present in December? You let me know."
Thurman, Khan and IBF king Kell Brook have all been disappointed in their pursuit of a shot with divisional kingpin Floyd Mayweather, who seems sure to take on Andre Berto on September 12.
We can keep talking all day. I want to see some paperwork. I want to see a contract. I want to hear a date. What do you think, Amir?
Thurman added: "What I try to remind people of is that real boxing business is going to be done without any of your guys' opinions. It'll be done in negotiations behind the scenes and Floyd Mayweather Jr is the kind of man who picks who he wants to fight.
"This is what he wanted, the networks agreed to it and he's going to get it. Nobody can stop it from happening. We all hope for the best, for a good fight, just like any other."
To watch the extended interview, visit behindthegloves.com by clicking here.
