Jump to content

Salita vs. Khan


NO SUNSHINE

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 86
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Amir Khan, the boxer who was portrayed as a perfect image of multicultural Britain when he won an Olympic silver medal in 2004, said that he would be a bigger star if he was white.Khan, 22, has been booed regularly by boxing crowds in the past year despite winning a world title in July. “It’s probably jealousy and sometimes skin colour does make a difference,” the fighter said. “I would be a superstar in Britain. I never get racial remarks [said to my face], but it’s always out there, which you can’t stop. You just live and learn about what people are like. I just choose to ignore them.”He makes the first defence of his WBA light-welterweight title against Dmitri Salita in Newcastle upon Tyne tonight, but has said that he would like to box next year in the United States, where he now trains. He said that he suffered abuse after losing in September last year to Breidis Prescott, of Colombia, which was his only professional defeat.“Straight after the Prescott fight, when people said, ‘He’s finished’, there were racial remarks made. If you go on the message boards and chat forums there are always people who have to get the religious thing in. But it made me stronger, it made me come back stronger and made be a better fighter.“I’m proud to be British and it’s a very small minority [that mention race], but it does hurt you and it pushes you all the way. I went to the Olympic Games for Britain and won a medal for Britain and then won a world title for Britain but sometimes you don’t see the appreciation.”Khan shot to fame at 17 when he boxed at the Athens Olympics in 2004 as a young Muslim with a Pakistani background who was proud to be British. He became a household name by reaching the Olympic final, cheered on by a small group of family and friends waving the Union Jack. His father, Shah, became a regular on television and wore a waistcoat with the Union Jack on it.The boxer has never avoided confronting issues. He made his professional debut nine days after the 7/7 bombings in London and spoke out, condemning the perpetrators. But he has had to walk a tightrope between cultures.He has lived all his life in Bolton, where one of his MEPs is Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National Party. He started to get a negative reaction from sections of the crowd after his first defeat, when he was knocked out in just 54 seconds.Some believe that he is booed because he has been overhyped. Others, including Frank Warren, his promoter, have put it down to rumours of a possible future bout between Khan and Ricky Hatton. But Khan said that he felt religion had no place in sport. His opponent tonight, Salita, is an Orthodox Jew, but both fighters have tried to play down any potential religious rivalry and have shown each other respect.“I’m a Muslim but I respect other religions and other cultures,” Khan said. “I try to fix things between the Asian community and English community.“I’m trying to break that barrier and prove to people it’s nothing like that. They have to look that I’m British. I went to the Olympic Games for Britain. I could have chosen to go for Pakistan if we were all like that.”http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/boxing/article6945167.ece
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh sh*t, that could be why mine aint working then - when i moved in they said that we werent allowed to stream using the net they provided (but sopcast works cause i watch the footy on it) so that could be why justin tv aint*edit*

This one works now, nice one :D
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Tulse Hill

chat rooms too much pmsltyson_ali: man i wish i was living in the tysson days wen lots of sh*t ahppened....instead i have to watch tiger woods cryingmayweatherpromotions: juniad u pakijaivikp: junaid wants anal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...