Father-to-be Amir Khan is desperate to avoid any trouble against Luis Collazo on Saturday night to ensure he does not force his pregnant wife into early labour.
Khan faces the dangerous New York southpaw at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather’s ‘The Moment’ show in Las Vegas, just weeks before Faryal Makhdoom’s due date towards the end of May.
The 27-year-old insists the imminent arrival of his first child, a baby girl, has not taken his mind off preparing for the bout, which could determine whether or not he secures a money-spinning fight with Mayweather himself.
It has been suggested that victory over Collazo, which will be Khan’s first fight for over a year and his debut at the 147lb welterweight limit, will put him back to the front of the queue when ‘Money’ chooses his next opponent.
But, for now, former unified light-welter King Khan insists his motivation for this fight lies closer to home.
In a suite at the Mandalay Bay, he said: “The wife’s due at the end of the May. I’m glad it’s not straight after the fight, it gives me a chance to get home.
“I’ve got a great family and the wife’s back in the UK so I know she will be fine. Her mum is with her. Faryal is cool, she’s happy. I told her not to worry about the fight, I’ve trained hard.
“It made me train even harder because I know I want to put on a great performance I don’t want her worrying or getting scared at the moment.
“The stress of my fight could bring the baby on early – I want to be there! I have to put on a great performance and not get hurt or anything so it’s not stressful for her.”
Khan has been out of the ring since April 2013, when he outpointed Julio Diaz in Sheffield, but has rarely been out of the papers, with lewd stories about his personal life appearing in the front pages of some British tabloids.
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But the 2004 Olympic silver medalist is adamant that the arrival of his daughter will change his life for the better and that his “craz” days are behind him.
“I think it will be a big life change,” he nodded. “The last few years have been crazy. I’ve been fighting, lived the single life but now is a good time to properly settle down, spend time with the wife and have my own little family.”
And how will it affect him inside the ring?
“I think it will help me with my boxing for sure,” he added. “It will keep me settled, knowing I’ve got my wife, my baby to look after.”
