NEW YORK (AFP) – Britain's Amir Khan hopes to spark American support by defending his World Boxing Association super lightweight crown here on May 15 against US veteran Paulie Malignaggi.
Khan, 22-1 with 16 knockouts, hopes to build a US fan base with a victory over former world champion Malignaggi, 27-3 with five knockouts.
"I don't only want to win the fight. I want to win with good style," Khan said. "I know there's going to be a lot of pressure on me without the home crowd, but I know the fans are going to start to love me."
Malignaggi wants to satisfy his hometown crowd at the Theater at Madison Square Garden himself, but not quite in the way Khan, 23, has in mind.
"When Amir gets punched in his mouth, they're going to love it," Malignaggi said.
Khan signed up with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions earlier this year in a bid to improve his standing among US fight fans.
Khan won a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics aged 17. Khan took the WBA crown last July by unanimous decision over Ukrainian Andreas Kotelnik and knocked out American Dmitriy Salita last December in his first title defense.
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