Holding court at his training base on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, Amir Khan covered enough topics to suggest that next Saturday’s WBC middleweight title fight against Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez in Las Vegas, by far the biggest test of his 11-year professional career, is not his only focus.

His continuing charity work, the plans for his young daughter’s upbringing and even his own personal app were all on the agenda as he spoke in the break between two punishing training sessions. But, most intriguingly, Khan suggested that never mind adhering to the old adage of taking one fight at a time, he is not even content with one sport.

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When Conor McGregor announced his “retirement” from Mixed Martial Arts, Khan looked on intently as he ponders a future inside the octagon instead of the ring. Not only has he already bought a stake in an MMA company, but Khan has adopted some of the sport’s training techniques as he anticipates a rough, physical encounter against the bigger man in the Mexican Álvarez.

“Can I kick hard?” he grinned. “I’ll try it out on you later and you can tell me. I have a stake in a company called Super Fight League, which is an MMA company in India and we have a lot of shows in Dubai, too. We are now moving over into America and putting on shows there.

“Bellator and UFC are the two main MMA companies, we’re probably third after those two. I’ve always been a UFC fan and I like McGregor and the way he promotes it. If I was to fight the champion around 147lb I would fancy my chances. You never know what will happen in the future – I would never say ‘no’ to getting into MMA. I could do it under my own banner and what a way to do it. My speed would be perfect, it’s hit and move.

“Just look at when McGregor beat José Aldo. The guy leant forward, over extended and fell short, McGregor stepped back and threw the straight right. It was a proper boxing move. I would not let anyone get close to me, I would take a step back and keep it long. I also believe that us boxers punch harder than MMA fighters anyway.

“I was at the last SFL show in Dubai, watching closely at the guys in my weight. Even though I have no experience of MMA, I could have stepped in and done the business. I’ve already done MMA training too. It’s good for preparing to fight a guy like Canelo who likes to put the pressure on. It’s all about the feet, the feet have to be in the right position.”

Make no mistake, Khan insists his boxing career is still far from over. Instead, he says victory on Saturday will usher in a new era for the sport which is still adapting to life without the top two pay-per-view draws, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao. But it will not be easy.

The modest, cubic unit buried deep inside a soulless industrial estate where Khan does his training feels every one of the 600 miles away from Las Vegas and its famous shining strip. But the 29-year-old is adamant that this isolation, away from friends, family, wife and child was the only way to prepare for a fight of such magnitude. Álvarez is the heavy favourite, both physically and metaphorically, as Khan has jumped two divisions to face him at a catch weight of 155lb at the new T-Mobile Arena.

“Look, a lot of top names in boxing have retired,” he said. “I think we are currently standing on the verge of a new generation for boxing. I would like to be seen as the leader of that and by beating Canelo, I will be the leader of that movement for some time.” The time for talking is almost over.