Khan wants to prove he’s the best in the world

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco Amir Khan is confident he will prove himself to be the best light welterweight on the planet by the end of the year.The former world champion faces Julio Diaz in Sheffield on April 27 as he continues to rebuild his career following successive defeats to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia.But he has been lined up to meet the winner of a mouthwatering tournament involving the finest fighters in his division.Garcia and former Khan victim Zab Judah will clash hours after the British boxer’s own fight while Peterson tackles hard-hitting Argentine Lucas Matthysse on May 18.The winners of those two bouts will face each other before the overall victor will meet Khan towards the end of the year with the last man standing declared the unified champion.‘I think that would be huge,’ Khan told Sportsmail. ‘I’ve got a big fight to come against Julio Diaz which I hope to pass with flying colours.‘But Zab Judah and Danny Garcia will fight on the same night and the winner of that fights the winner of Lamont Peterson and Lucas Matthysse and the winner at the end fights me.‘The guys in the tournament are the top five in the world and the final fight will prove who the best 140lb fighter is and that straightaway is a superfight.‘Things don’t always go the way you hope they will but I’m willing to prove I’m the best in the division. I’ve made mistakes in the past but I’m correcting them and I know I’m ready.‘I want to fight Garcia just to prove that I am the best but I’ll just have to go with the flow and see who the best man is.‘I beat Zab Judah, Lamont Peterson got caught taking testosterone when we were meant to have a rematch and with Matthysse, we’ve always missed each other. I’ve fought three of the four so I’m in the right position to fight the winner.‘It proves that I’m still seen as one of the best fighters in the division which is a good thing. I’m the guy who brings the most money to the table.’Khan, 26, returned to winning ways last December when Carlos Molina was retired at the end of the 10th round.His bout with Diaz will be his first on home soil in two years but despite losing his world title, Khan believes he still ranks among the best in British boxing.‘Currently I’m still top of the list, among others who have world titles, even though I don’t have one because I have a huge fan base, talent, skill and because of the people I’ve faced,’ he said.‘Not having a world title makes me train harder so I have to go back to the drawing board but I’m still one of the top fighters in the UK.’Khan will leave his San Francisco training base two weeks before fight night and complete his camp in Bolton under the watchful eye of Virgil Hunter.‘Training is going amazing,’ he added. ‘We’re way ahead of schedule and Virgil is very happy with the way I’m training. In between fights, instead of taking time off, I kept training a little bit and I came into this camp halfway there instead of starting at the bottom.‘I’ve already done nine or 10 rounds of sparring when normally I’d only have done five or six; that shows how fit and strong I am.‘There’s a lot to learn but I’m picking up the things he’s taught me and I’m using them. It’s my second camp with Virgil and the more time we spend together, I’ll adapt to what he wants me to do and start doing the right things instead of making the mistakes I used to.‘He’s making me understand what to do and what not to do, especially in positions when I am hurt or when it comes to finishing an opponent off.’