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Khan faces Hungarian Komjathi

05/04/2006

Amir Khan will fight his seventh professional bout in Belfast next month when he takes on the experienced Hungarian boxer Laszlo Komjathi.

The unbeaten light welterweight from Bolton has won his first six professional fights, with all but one coming via knockout, but he will be asked to face his most proven fighter to date at Kings Hall on May 20th.

Komjathi, 30, comes to the ring as a former Hungarian lightweight champion and holds a record of 24 wins from 35 fights, with 11 coming inside the distance.

But the journeyman boxer, known as The Rock, has largely failed to impress outside his homeland and his ten defeats suggest 19-year-old Khan, who will possess a three-inch height advantage, should not be overly tested providing he can impose himself.

Khan has expressed his excitement at having the fight lined up and at making his debut appearance in Belfast.

"There's a great buzz in the city about the whole show and with me making my debut there so I'm looking forward to getting in there with Komjathi and giving the fans a good and exciting performance," he said.

The Olympic silver medallist also revealed he had studied Komjathi's previous fights and is sure he will face a tough test against his older foe.

"Komjathi is a test for me and it's at the right stage of my career. He's had a lot more experience at championship level than the other boxers I've fought and has fought some good solid name like [IBF inter-continental light welterweight champion Giuseppe] Lauri and [former European lightweight champion Stefano] Zoff.

"I've watched some videos of him and he's a strong, powerful, boxer with an attacking style so I know that I won't have to go looking for him, I'll be looking to bring him onto my punches and know that I've got the power to knock him out."

Khan's promoter Frank Warren echoed his charge's praise for the Hungarian and suggested the British teenager will be forced to raise his game.

"Komjathi has been in with some good fighters who have gone on to become world champions or high level operators at world level so this will represent another step up for Amir in his ring education," Warren added.

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