Naoki Fukuda

Top WBC welterweight contender Amir Khan has informed WBN his immediate future lies at 147 pounds as the Bolton man prepares to return next year.

The 29 year-old has been recovering from hand surgery recently and stated his intention to be back in action by the spring of 2017 in a previous interview with WBN.

Khan has been linked to a massive all-UK clash with Kell Brook for some time now, although his main rival is said to be considering a move up in weight after a first career defeat against Gennady Golovkin.

Brook headed to middleweight in losing a fifth round stoppage to the big-punching Kazakh at The O2 in London and there are doubts ‘The Special One’ will decide to go all the way back down to welterweight.

Despite holding a world title and having a mandatory fight against Errol Spence in front of him, Khan hopes Brook will decide to remain at 147 pounds after ruling out going up to super-welterweight himself for any imminent clash.

“I think I’d be more comfortable at 147,” Khan exclusively told World Boxing News.

“With the money that’s going to be on the table, Brook should consider at least one more fight at 147. I think he’d want to take a fight with me. But if it happens, it would have to happen at 147, to be honest. That’s where I’m comfortable. I am interested in that fight so that’s where it would be. 147 would be better for me.”

On the possibility of Spence getting in the way of as massive British pay-per-view encounter, Khan believes the American’s presence as the next in line could be the final push that sees Brook leave 147 pounds behind.

“I think Errol Spence is one of the reasons why Brook will move up to 154. He knows he’s going to have his hands full against Spence.

“It just shows the type of fighter I am and Brook is. He’s has fought so many mandatories without any problem, but when it comes to fighting a good mandatory, he’s moving up a weight.

“I’m sure if it was another Jo Jo Dan or Kevin Bizier, I’m sure he would have stayed at 147. There’s a difference in going for the big names knowing you’re going to get beat, and people think you’re going to get beat but it takes balls to go in there like with GGG, to fighting someone like Errol Spence where it’s a 50-50 fight.

“I made those sort of fights when I fought Lamont Peterson, Danny Garcia, Marcos Maidana and Zab Judah. I fought all those guys, whereas Kell hasn’t done that. He jumped from fighting low calibre fighters, straight up to the pound for pound best fighter in the world where everyone expected him to lose. But he won’t want to stay in the middle area as he knows he will get found out.

“If he moves up I think he’ll find it very difficult there. The likes of the Charlo brothers are up there and they are good boxers, they hit hard as well. If he can compete or not it would be very hard to say, but it will be difficult for him.

“Maybe Miguel Cotto would be a good fight for Kell Brook because Cotto is now kind of done. Cotto is a fight I’d love to have as well. He’s a massive name in boxing and is a winnable fight,” he added.