Amir Khan has pledged to preserve his amateur status for another four years in
a bid to go one better in Beijing than his silver medal performance at these
Olympics in Athens.
The fearless 17-year-old finally found an opponent who was too good on Sunday as
he was outscored 30-22 by defending champion and three-time amateur world
lightweight title holder Mario Kindelan.
But the massive strides Khan has made since arriving in Greece can be seen in
the mere eight-point losing gap, compared to the 20 he went down by when the
Bolton-born fighter previously took on the Cuban just three months ago.
His performance earned a glowing tribute from former world heavyweight
champion Evander Holyfield, who watched the fight from ringside, and it is bound
to lead to more sustained calls for him to turn professional when he reaches his
18th birthday in December.
Audley Harrison netted himself a cool £1million from the BBC for his first 10
fights after winning gold in Sydney four years ago.
And while Khan's pulling power is not as great as the heavyweight's was back
then, he looks likely to have far more impact on the professional ranks.
However, Khan has vowed to spurn the promise of immediate riches in order to
continue his boxing education in the unpaid ranks.
He also plans to continue his studies at Bolton technical college where he is
studying sports development, of all subjects.
Next year's World Championships are on the immediate horizon, but the ultimate
medium-term target is victory in China.
"I want to stay an amateur until I am 22," he said.
"I need to get more mature and gain more experience in time for the next
Olympics.
"Hopefully I can win in Beijing so when I do turn professional I will have
something concrete behind me.
"I am only 17, so you could hardly say I am as strong as a man and I think
it's important I carry on as I am just now.
"Besides that, I have fallen behind in my studies and need to get back to
college. I also have my driving test to go for, so there are plenty of things to
keep me occupied."
After showing impressive footwork and punching speed on his route to the
final, Khan found himself outflanked by an opponent 15 years his senior, who has
declared his intention to retire immediately after the Games are over.
Though he occupied the centre of the ring for much of the fight, Khan tended
to get picked off by Kindelan every time he made an attacking move.
Tight first and final rounds could not mask the Cuban's clear superiority in
the middle two, although Kindelan was happy enough to declare his opponent a
world champion of the future.
"He told me I would be the next gold medallist," revealed Khan.
"I have learned a lot just from fighting him and this one was a lot closer
than the last time, so something must be getting through.
"I have no complaints. I didn't even expect to be here, so to reach the final
and get a chance to fight against the reigning champion is just brilliant."
A virtual unknown before the competition started, Khan has managed to ignite
the passion of British boxing fans starved of star quality.
Thousands packed into the Olympic boxing hall to cheer him on on Sunday, including
members of his extended family who he has never previously met.
Despite the adulation, Khan shows every sign that he is not about to get swept
away by it, like the man he has often been compared to, Naseem Hamed.
Khan has previously claimed he liked Hamed's fighting style but felt outside
the ring he "was just too big-headed".
On Sunday's evidence, Khan is not going to end up like that.
"It has been a long two weeks and now I just want to get back and hang out
with my friends again," he said.
"When I first came out here, about 10 members of my family were supporting
me.
"Today it was more like 50. I have absolutely no idea where they came from.
It was good to see them even though I don't know who half of them are."
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