Roach: Amir Khan needs 4-5 fights before he is ready

Freddie Roach believes Amir Khan is at least a year away from boxing for a world title. Roach, the trainer of Manny Pacquiao, takes over responsibility for Khan later this month after the sacking of Jorge Rubio, but he has been quick to point out that there is no rush to try to get Khan to achieve his ambitions.

"It's going to take him at least a year," Roach said. "He will need four to five fights before he is ready to box for a world title."

Khan has been in a rush to win a world title since he turned professional aged 18. He is now 21, the age he said he wanted to rule the world by, but any timetable for his elevation to the highest standard has been shelved after Khan's 54-second defeat to Breidis Prescott last month.

As a man who has worked with Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins and Steve Collins, Roach is unlikely to worry about anyone else telling him what to do. He will be the one giving the orders to Khan, not the other way round, but he does believe Khan has the mindset to get over his shocking knock-out defeat.

"It’s something Amir's got to deal with," Roach said. "He's got to get over it. We need to work on some small things. But he's a good athlete and a talented boxer with good potential."

Pacquiao will be training alongside Khan at the Wildcard gym in Hollywood, preparing for his December 6 date with Oscar De La Hoya. Roach confirmed that he expects the two to be sharing the ring at some stage. "The sparring is going to be of the highest level, it's going to be with guys like Pacquiao," Roach said. "He has got good power, but he has got to go back to his boxing."

Comments

[Ollie]

The boy Khan may have been a pro for a few yrs, but he has been trained by amateurs and fought like one. With the advent of Roach, he is about to truly join the ranks of the pros.

[Matthew Conway]

Good move to bring in roach.

Although you can't train chin...