Amir Khan will fight with a heavy heart in his return to action.
Singapore’s Khan (13-7) takes on South Korean contender Dae Sung Park (10-2) at “ONE Championship 125: Collision Course II,” which airs today via tape delay, where he will be fighting not just for the victory, but for the memory of his father, who he recently lost to brain cancer.
“I’m sad, but I’m trying to stay strong at the same time,” he told ONE Championship ahead of fight night in Singapore. “I’ve just got to fight on. The show must go on.”
Khan’s father was a regular presence in his son’s corner at ONE Championship events and never missed a fight during the 26-year-old’s career. Now, still dealing with the news of his father’s passing, Khan must fight on without his biggest fan and inspiration by his side.
“I know he wants me to be strong, he doesn’t want me to be down because of this incident,” Khan continued. “The worst thing I can do is be doing nothing and being depressed. I know he doesn’t want me to be doing that, because I have a job this Friday. Get the job done, and then I can grieve later.”
A longtime contender in ONE Championship’s lightweight division, Khan is aiming to register back-to-back wins for the first time since 2018. His last outing saw him return to top form as he finished Rahul Raju via first-round TKO at “ONE Championship 116: Reign of Dynasties II” in October. Now he’s hoping to channel all of the conflicting energies of the last few days into one focused performance that will push him back toward the top of the lightweight rankings.
“I still want to make him proud,” he said. “This is the fight I should fight. Just fight my best out there, no hesitation, there’s nothing to hold me back. I feel the fight is not going to be harder than what I just experienced, so this is just going to bring out a different kind of savageness in me. I love him so much, and he did everything he can to make me the man I am today. I will continue his legacy.”
“ONE Championship 125: Collision Course II” streams on B/R Live Friday from Singapore Indoor Stadium.