Khan inspired 'majority' of South Asian boxers, says Abdul Khan

Abdul Khan says Amir Khan's success lit a fire in South Asian boxers across Britain. The fighter told BBC Sport that seeing Khan reach the sport's elite level gave an entire generation a pathway into the ring.

“Seeing Amir reach the heights of the sport only lit the fire in probably the majority of the South Asian kids out there, including me”

— Abdul Khan, via BBC Sport

What Abdul Khan said

Khan became Britain's youngest Olympic boxing medallist at Athens 2004 and went on to win world titles at lightweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light-welterweight. His visibility as a South Asian fighter in a sport historically lacking diversity opened doors for those who followed. Abdul Khan credits that representation as the spark for his own career.

What it moves

The comment underscores Khan's legacy beyond his title runs. A generation of South Asian fighters now competes in Britain's domestic scene, a shift Khan's career accelerated. Abdul Khan's route into boxing mirrors that broader pattern, one that began when Khan stood on an Olympic podium two decades ago.

Source: bbc.co.uk. Full Abdul Khan fight history and recent news at boxingnews.com.