FightHype.com has been advised that former jr. welterweight champion Amir Khan will return to the Bay Area in California this Wednesday to begin training with world-class trainer Virgil Hunter. Although an opponent has yet to be determined, we're told that Khan is eyeing May 23 as the date for his anticipated return to the ring.
The pickings are slim, however, when it comes to big names in and around the welterweight division that Khan could face. Obviously the top two names on his list, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, are no longer available thanks to their long-awaited mega-fight finally being finalized. Another name that Khan was hoping to face, Miguel Cotto, just announced his signing with Jay Z's Roc Nations Sports and his own planned ring return in June, essentially eliminating the possibility of the two fighters facing each other anytime soon.
Keith Thurman and Robert Guerrero just fought and received medical suspensions that would make them unavailable. Adrien Broner, who also fought this past weekend, recently expressed interest in the fight, but his team has consistently made it clear that they prefer for him to campaign in the jr. welterweight division. Andre Berto, Josesito Lopez, Shawn Porter, and Roberto Garcia all fight this weekend, but expecting them to make a quick turnaround to fight again in May would likely be asking too much. Furthermore, names like Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez would likely be difficult to secure given their affiliation with Top Rank.
About two weeks ago, IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook was said to already be in talks for a potential summer showdown with Khan, but representatives of Team Khan informed FightHype.com that those reports were "not true". So the question remains, who can Amir Khan face when he returns to the ring? Let us know your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.
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