Fight For Your Life
By Amir Khan
Century
ISBN: 9781529907698
320pp.

He may have retired from professional boxing but Amir Khan still has a lot to offer, both as a sportsman and as a human being. The former world champion, whose philanthropic activities keep him in the news after retirement, had an eventful career about which he hasn’t said much until now. He uses his autobiography Fight for Your Life to reveal the good, the bad and the ugly details of incidents he was involved in, hoping to be appreciated for his victories and forgiven for his antics.

Those who have followed Amir Khan’s career can easily guess the contents of this book, which follows his rise, fall and comeback as an international boxer. Not only did he win a silver medal in his first-ever Olympic Games, before his 18th birthday, but he also became one of the youngest-ever British professional world champions at the age of 22. He is mostly remembered for holding the unified light-welterweight World Championships titles — including the World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) — between 2009 and 2012.

However, it is the controversies he has been a part of which the readers want to know about and he talks about every one of them, even though some might not accept his reasoning behind the acts. After all, being part of a leaked sex tape, a Twitter melodrama involving your wife and an opponent, and a failed drug test at the twilight of your career is something one could avoid, using common sense.

The book’s beginning might remind some readers of the opening of Andre Agassi’s Open, where the tennis champion’s life flashed before his eyes after his final encounter. Amir Khan (with help from ghostwriter John Woodhouse) begins his autobiography on the same lines, although he chooses his final fight in America against Terence Crawford instead of his final professional fight, and takes the readers back to what he terms as the beginning of a glorious career.

Former British-Pakistani boxer Amir Khan’s autobiography reveals all about his career and the controversies that have dogged him

Categorised in 12 chapters — marked as 12 rounds by the boxer — Amir Khan talks about his ups and downs, and thanks his friends, mentors and family for everything they did for him. However, as one dives into his life, secrets regarding corrupt relatives, unhappy farewells and selfish friends come to the fore which, according to the boxer, hurt his career and disturbed his family life.

But before that, he explains why a young Bolton lad walked into a gymnasium, fell in love with boxing, and made a name for himself during his teenage years. He credits the bullies in his school for his inclination to the sport that made him known worldwide, as well as mentions two near-death experiences that guided him to take up what others considered a dangerous sport.

Amir reveals in these pages that, despite being hailed as the next big thing, his relationship with the Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) wasn’t ideal from the very beginning. He explains that they were not keen to send him to the Olympic Games, where he eventually won the silver medal for the United Kingdom and he had to “threaten them” by revealing his back-up plan of representing Pakistan, which did the trick.

He then goes on to speak his mind about his journey to the Olympics final and then the loss to Cuban Mario Kindelán and reveals that a chance meeting with Sylvester ‘Rocky’ Stallone ahead of the big match would always overshadow the title fight, as would the hero’s welcome on his return home after winning the silver medal. Not only does he discuss meeting Queen Elizabeth II during a reception afterwards but also explains his surprise when then Prime Minister Tony Blair asked him for an autograph for his kids.

He credits the bullies in his school for his inclination to the sport that made him known worldwide, as well as mentions two near-death experiences that guided him to take up what others considered a dangerous sport.

This book would have been incomplete without Amir mentioning the reason behind his sudden move to America and how it helped him grow in stature as a boxer. He claims that, unlike the United Kingdom where people were happy when he lost a fight, folks in the States celebrated his success and that his decision to move to the US from the UK was perfect for his career and mental health.

The former double world champion also explains the dilemma he faced after losing a fight, since it was at that time that he was labelled a Pakistani by the same people who called him British when he won. He also questions why the media turned against him for no reason and why people were happy when his winning streak was broken, and then takes the discussion into the racism zone, which was something he felt throughout his career.

He even mentions a few incidents where he claims to have been looked at suspiciously by customs officials, and was even deported and banned by an American airline once for looking different. What tops it all is the incident before his first date with eventual wife Faryal Makhdoom. According to Amir, his friend had given him his Rolls Royce so that he could impress his date, but everything went haywire when the police stopped them while they were on their way to the date.

The narration is simple and to the point, which keeps the readers engrossed in the stories Amir Khan tells, especially the way he tells them. The strange case of leaked stories about Amir Khan, his wife Faryal and other members of the family, is one such story in which he doesn’t name the person responsible for the leak, but hints that he might be a disgruntled employee.

He also discloses details about the rift with his wife that made him rethink his priorities for a moment and, although he blames himself and his financial situation at that time for the stupid thread on Twitter, it doesn’t come out as convincing.

What does seem convincing is Amir thanking his second daughter for saving his marriage and the reality show I Am a Celebrity for saving his career. He tells the readers that he only undertook the last few fights of his career to ensure a safe future for his kids, because all the money he had accumulated before that was gone by that time. He blames trusting his immediate family for that error and thanks his wife for standing by him.

Two highly controversial incidents that Amir speaks about openly in the book happened in his last two losses — one against Terence Crawford in 2019 and the other against long-time rival Kell Brook in 2022. The way he talks about them is only to be read in his words, otherwise it wouldn’t have the desired effect on the readers. He does talk briefly about his reconciliation with his family due to his mother’s illness, but more could have been said on that, considering he spoke more against them than for them.

It wouldn’t be surprising if someone in Hollywood took note of Amir Khan’s autobiography and decided to make a biopic based on it now, as it has all the ingredients needed to make a film succeed. There is a leaked sex tape that nearly destroyed his public image, an unintelligent exchange on Twitter that strained his relationship with his wife, and a failed drug test that left a dent on his career.

Add to that the constant mention of his alleged ‘glass chin’ and you might even have a title for the movie.

The reviewer is a broadcast journalist, who also writes on sports, film television and popular culture. X: @omair78

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, December 31st, 2023