Amir Khan spent nearly the entirety of Saturday night’s doomed challenge for Terence Crawford’s WBO welterweight title on the defensive after he was floored and nearly stopped in the opening round. And so it continued for the former two-times junior welterweight champion in the post-fight press conference that often felt like a deposition as Khan, whose marked-up face told the grim tale of the evening, found himself on the back foot once more amid a flurry of inquiries over the controversial finish.

Terence Crawford retains title when Amir Khan can't continue after low blow Read more

“I’m not one of them guys to quit,” Khan said. “I would rather be knocked out. I would rather go to war. If I quit I would not be here sat in front of you. I’m just not that type of guy. That’s why I came here. I wanted to face you guys and I wanted to face Terence as well. I tried. That’s all I can say.”

Khan, who went off as an 8-1 underdog, was badly mistreated by the superior American for five rounds and headed toward defeat when a left hand connected well below his belt early in the sixth. Whether it landed on the leg (like Crawford believed) or squarely in the groin area (as Khan said), the challenger was entitled to up to five minutes of recovery time under rules of boxing after the referee, David Shields, ruled it an accidental low blow.

Instead Virgil Hunter, the veteran trainer with whom Khan had reunited for the fight, elected to halt the proceedings roughly 40 seconds after time was called. That was the official version, anyway. Many sceptics, Crawford first among them, suspected Khan was far less enthusiastic about soldiering on as he was suggesting given the one-sided nature of what was unfolding.

“I would never quit,” Khan insisted as he recounted the final sequence, at times made to sound as if he was trying to convince himself. “I would rather get knocked out. I’m one of them fighters who’d rather get knocked out in fights. I have been knocked out because I’ve tried to win fights …”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Amir Khan grimaces as he leans on the ropes after taking a low blow from Terence Crawford during the fight at Madison Square Garden. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters

“You didn’t quit?” Crawford interrupted. “Tell the truth.”

Khan: “I didn’t quit.”

Crawford: “So what happened?”

Khan: “I’m telling you I’ve never quit.”

Crawford: “What happened?”

Khan: “I was hit with a low shot, man. I was hit with a very low blow.”

Crawford: “In your leg? You quit with a shot in your leg?”

Khan: “In the leg? It was in the balls!”

The tension of the chippy exchange was heightened by an audience of Crawford supporters who had made their way into the press conference, many of whom gave off the impression they were more upset with the unsatisfying ending than the champion himself.

Terence Crawford defeats Amir Khan to retain WBO welterweight title – as it happened Read more

Khan went on to say he felt the sensation from the punch in his stomach and was left incapacitated, repeating time and again that he would rather go out on his shield than concede. “I would never give up in a fight like this,” he said. “I was in pain. I couldn’t move. I could not continue. I’m not one to give up in any fight. I fight to the end.”

If it is the end of the road for the 32-year-old from Bolton, who twice captured world titles at 140lbs (10st)after winning a silver medal at the Athens Olympics aged 17, the severance pay is not insignificant: Khan will take home a minimum of $5m for Saturday’s trouble in addition to a portion of the pay-per-view receipts.

Khan, while noncommittal about the future, did not cut the figure of a fighter ready to walk away. “We’ll move on from this,” he said. “I’m going to come back stronger.”