Amir Khan announced his retirement from boxing on May 13 following 27 years in the sport.
The former unified light-welterweight world champion said he felt "blessed to have such an amazing career" in which he went from Olympic silver-medallist at the age of 17 to one of the UK's most recognisable sporting figures.
It’s time to hang up my gloves.
— Amir Khan (@amirkingkhan) May 13, 2022
I feel blessed to have had such an amazing career that has spanned over 27 years.
I want to say a heartfelt thanks and to the incredible teams I have worked with and to my family, friends and fans for the love and support they have shown me. pic.twitter.com/VTk0oxVjp2
Khan's final fight came against long-time rival Kell Brook in Manchester in February, where he was stopped in the sixth round. That left his career record at 34 wins and six defeats.
Following his decision to retire, The Sporting News looks back at Khan's top five victories over the course of his 17-year professional career.
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5. Dmitry Salita (TKO, 2009)
This win goes down as one of Khan's most brutal performances. It was a display of pure speed, power, and aggression as he blew away Dmitry Salita in a single round to retain his WBA world super-lightweight title.
Salita arrived with a 30-0-1 record and was seen as a risky first defense for Khan.
The Ukrainian had 16 wins via knockout to his name, but Salita was overwhelmed by Khan, who floored him in just ten seconds of the fight starting.
The stunning hand speed then paved way for two more knockdowns, as the fight was then waved off with a minute and sixteen seconds to go in the round.
Khan produced a similar performance in 2018 when he devastated Phil Lo Greco.
This fight makes the top five ahead of wins over Paul Malignaggi and Andriy Kotelnik due to the fact that this was Khan at his most destructive. It is an example of what happened if you couldn't deal with the blistering hand speed he possesses.
4. Marco Antonio Barrera (TD, 2009)
A win over Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera registers as the best "name" on Khan's boxing resume, and this win 2009 earned him a lot of praise at the time.
Khan had lost in dramatic fashion just six months earlier to Breidis Prescott. He was knocked out in the first round in a shocking defeat at the time. Khan regrouped with a straightforward win over Oisin Fagan before jumping in with the former three-weight world champion, who had 65 wins to his name when they fought.
Khan and Barrera battled for five rounds only. The fight was stopped before the sixth round began as a result of a cut sustained by Barrera on his forehead following a nasty clash of heads.
The scorecards at the time read 50-44, 50-45 and 50-45 all in favor of Khan, who secured a technical decision win over a boxing legend.
Due to the fight being stopped as a result of the head clash, this win can't be ranked any higher. The caliber of opponent is certainly undisputable.
3. Luis Collazo (UD, 2014)
In one of Khan's most entertaining fights, the Brit once again entertained the crowd at the MGM Grand as he outpointed and outgunned American Luis Collazo. He dazzled boxing fans with this powerful performance.
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Collazo had previously faced fellow Brit Ricky Hatton eight years earlier. He was considered a tough opponent at the time, as Khan moved ever closer to a welterweight world title shot.
Khan, however, put on a purely dominant performance, dropping his opponent once in round four and twice in round ten. He ended up winning by unanimous decision, as the judges scored it 119-104, 119-104, and 117-106. It was certainly one of the more dominant scorecards you will ever see.
It was an utterly commanding and professional performance that stands out as a night to remember for Khan.
2. Devon Alexander (UD, 2014)
In one of Khan's most impressive performances from start to finish, the Bolton man schooled Devon Alexander, who at the time had been a world champion at super-lightweight and had previously beaten Maidana, Lucas Matthysse, and Anthony Kotelnik.
This fight took place at welterweight, as Khan was looking to become a multiple-weight world champion. The scorecards read 119-109, 118-110, and 120-108, which demonstrated Khan’s dominance on the night under the bright lights of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It was an absolute masterclass performance against "Alexander the Great'," who happened to be a two-weight world champion.
In the post-fight interview, he famously called out Floyd Mayweather Jr. Following that performance, some might have given Khan a chance at beating Mayweather.
Hailed as one of the Khan's best ever performances, perhaps that was the night where his stock was at its highest.
1. Marcos Maidana (UD, 2010)
Back in 2010, Khan faced Argentinian Marcos Maidana in what was a fourth defense of his WBA world super-lightweight title.
The fight was named "Fight of the Year" by the Boxing Association of America, and it certainly lived up the name. Khan had an incredible start to the fight, as he dropped "El Chino" with perhaps the punch of his career, a vicious body shot in the first round.
Maidana was then docked a point in the fifth round for an elbow, which meant he was playing catch up on the scorecards.
Early in the tenth round, Maidana landed a huge overhand right that wobbled Khan, the type of punch that would have others down and out. Somehow, Khan survived an onslaught all the way until the end of the round. He showed true grit in that round in one of his most resilient moments in the ring.
Khan ultimately won the fight with a triumphant unanimous points win, earning the following scorecards to retain his world title: 114-11, 114-111 and 113-112.
Khan then went on to unify the belts, beating Zab Judah seven months later, adding the IBF title to his collection.
This win is all the more impressive looking back now, considering Maidana went onto beat Adrian Broner. Maidana ended up losing via majority decision against Floyd Mayweather Jr. following this defeat. It stands out as Khan's best victory.
