'Quiet man' is ready for Khan

10:48pm Sunday 28th September 2008

AMIR Khan will make his make-or-break return to the ring on December 6 at the Birmingham NEC and it could be against Walsall “quiet man” Martin Gethin.

Khan received a fantastic reception when he boxed at the NIA earlier this year and promoter Frank Warren was delighted with a 10,000 packed-out arena.

He vowed to return and has decided that Birmingham is the ideal place for Khan’s next absolutely critical outing after being knocked out in the first round in Manchester by Breidis Prescott.

The Khan camp will be looking to find the right opponent. The onus will be on matchmaker Dean Powell who also works in Khan’s corner as cut-man, to come up with a list of suitable opponents.

He will be looking for a creditable performer who can box but does not have a long record of winning fights inside the distance as Prescott did.

That criteria would bring Martin Gethin into the reckoning and the English and Midlands Area champion would jump at the chance of facing Khan.

The 24-year-old defeated Sheffield’s previously unbeaten John Fewkes earlier this month with a fourth-round stoppage to comfortably win the English crown despite being the underdog.

He said: “I wasn’t given much of a chance against John Fewkes but I showed what I can do. I was seen as just a stepping stone for him but that wasn’t the case.

“I stopped him in four rounds. I beat him fair and square and I’m ready to push on from here.

“I’m happy with the English title and my next step is the British title. I’ve worked my way up and I’ll continue to build my reputation the right way.

“If, on the other hand, I was given the chance to go in against Khan I would jump at it. There is no point in avoiding people.

“And in any case this could be a good time to take him on. We all now know that he has a weak chin and can be stopped. “