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Ben Shalom has confirmed that Amir Khan will not retire following his devastating sixth-round stoppage loss to Kell Brook. The Sky Sports promoter claimed that Khan would not take the rematch with Brook and is open to fighting a different opponent. While speaking to iFL TV, he said:
"Amir Khan wants to fight again but I think he accepts now Kell Brook isn't the right option for him. People need to see that Amir is serious, it's not just for money. People have said you said you should make sure Amir retires. It's not up to us whether Amir fights on or not with another promoter or with us that's up to him. But I think he needs a different fight now and Kell will be looking at other things".
However, Shalom did not rule out the possibility of Khan getting a win and producing a good performance in his next fight to set up a rematch with Brook. The Boxxer CEO believes Florian Marku could be the ideal next opponent.
"It's hard to know, Amir was injured, he did have a shoulder injury, we've seen the scans, he had ten weeks to prepare. I'm not making excuses, I'm not saying Amir should fight Kell ever, but Amir wants the fight again. I actually like Florian Marku, I'd love that fight. We'll see, I know he's back in the gym and wants to come back to the UK."
Watch Ben Shalom's full interview with iFL TV:
Florian Marku is scheduled to fight Chris Jenkins this Saturday, April 2. If the Albanian comes through this tough encounter, he could be in prime position to fight Amir Khan next.
Should Amir Khan carry on or retire?
Khan was dominated by Brook when the British rivals squared off earlier this year on February 19 at the Manchester Arena. 'King Khan' displayed heart and his signature hand speed but struggled to take Brook's punches. The man from Bolton has never had a good chin, and the bout against 'The Special One' may suggest it has deteriorated even further.
However, Khan seems adamant that he wants to continue his boxing career. It remains to be seen if he can defeat a formidable opponent and prove that he can give Brook a competitive fight when fully fit.
Watch the highlights of Amir Khan vs. Kell Brook below:
