‘It left a bad taste in my mouth,’ says Amir Khan on meeting with Jake Paul as he demands £10MILLION for KSI bout
AMIR KHAN wants a huge £10MILLION to fight KSI – and revealed he was left disgruntled following a meeting with Jake Paul’s team.
The British boxing legend retired in 2022 following defeat to long-time rival Kell Brook.
But he has been linked with a comeback ever since and last year became a surprise name in the running to face KSI.
Khan told SunSport how no official offer has ever been made to face the 31-year-old British YouTube star – but he is open for talks.
And in an interview with Betway, he said: “I’ve never spoken to KSI or anyone from his team, but they know where I am and know how to get in touch with me.
“We have mutual friends, and they have spoken to some of my mutual friends and asked about the fight, but nobody has come to me. I am my own boss now and have been for the last five years.
“If they want to negotiate with me, I will speak to them and send it to my lawyer and then negotiations start.
“I manage everything and know everything in the game. I want £10million for the fight 100 per cent because a fight like that I am not getting cut short with pay-per-view numbers.
“If I want to return to the ring again then I want to make sure I am motivated to get back into the ring.
“I need something big to push me back to the ring. I have enough money, a big name and have won multiple world titles, the Olympics and a lot of huge fights and tough training. We’re prize fighters.”
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Khan, 38, was beaten in six rounds by Brook, also 38, in his last fight.
And he served a two-year ban after testing positive for ostarine – a substance known to build muscle mass and increase stamina.
An independent tribunal accepted Khan’s argument that he did not knowingly take the substance – ruling out “deliberate or reckless conduct”.
Khan also revealed he met with Paul’s promotional partner Nakisa Bidarian over a bout with India’s Neeraj Goyat.
The two were due to fight in 2019 but Goyat pulled out injured and has since signed with Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.
And Khan said: “I had a meeting with Jake Paul’s team, and they said give me a price, what do you want for a fight. I know the numbers really well and have been in the biggest fights in boxing.
“I know the pay-per-view buys, the gate, the food and drink prices and I want a percentage of everything because I’m the one making the show.
I manage everything and know everything in the game. I want £10million for the fight 100 per cent because a fight like that I am not getting cut short with pay-per-view numbers.
Amir Khan on fighting KSI
“I gave them my price and they flopped. They didn’t want to move forward. The meeting was a little bit dead, and they don’t know what they’re doing.
“Jake Paul’s team don’t know what the f*** they are doing. Literally, when it comes to boxing and no disrespect to Nakisa Bidarian, but he doesn’t have a clue.
“Netflix has landed on his lap, and they don’t know how to handle it. You need to show boxers the same love and give the fighters enough money to get them back into the ring.
“So, for someone like Amir Khan to get back into the ring, they need to pay that money. On a serious note, Jake Paul’s manager is a very arrogant guy.
“Jake Paul is a lovely guy, I thought he would have a chip on his shoulder, but it was mainly Nakisa Bidarian, I didn’t like the way he came across and how big headed he was.
“Instead of negotiating, they told me the fighter who was Neeraj Goyat, and I said this was my price.
“Instead of coming back with a counteroffer they flopped and gave it a miss. I wanted £10million.
“Imagine a British Pakistani fighter against an Indian fighter, it would have been huge. They were so unprofessional, and it left a bad taste in my mouth.”