By Terence Dooley

Amir Khan had an open workout here in Manchester today, it gave trainer Freddie Roach a chance to meet-and-greet the Khan fans in attendance.  Khan shadowboxed, worked out on the pads with Freddie, and then skipped before a packed crowd at the Pyramid centre.

Khan is due to take on Andreas Kotelnik for the WBA light-welterweight title at the MEN in just under two-weeks time.  Freddie Roach believes that Khan will defeat the Ukrainian, and that this win will bring Khan closer to an all-Lancashire showdown with Ricky Hatton. 

Roach knows a thing or two about Hatton; he played a key tactical role in Manny Pacquiao’s two-round dismantling of ‘The Hitman’ back in May.  Roach told Sky Sports News that Hatton would not be able to resist the lure of a Khan bout once Amir has the WBA title around his waist.

“I’d like to see Hatton retire, but I think he’ll go after Amir’s title,” he claimed.  “I think it would be a huge fight, here in the United Kingdom you would sell a lot of tickets and make a lot of money, so why not?  I think it would be a great fight.  I think it could happen soon to be honest with you.”

HBO viewers saw Roach dissect Hatton’s style in the build-up the Pacquiao contest; on the night itself, Manny followed Roach’s instructions to the letter, hammering Hatton into a one-sided defeat.

However, Roach knows that Kotelnik will be a test.  After speaking to Sky he exclusively told Boxingscene that they are fully prepared for Andreas, he also enthused over Amir, his latest ‘Mexican Assassin’.

“Amir has trained hard for this test, we are ready to go,” said Roach.  “Kotelnik has a very good jab and a good right hand also, he is very good at everything he does, but he does those things a little too often, I think we can take advantage of that.”

Roach has worked with Khan since Amir’s shocking loss to Bredis Prescott last September, the trainer made sure that Khan was ready for the switch by giving him a baptism of fire.

“Yeah, I had my doubts (about taking Khan on),” he said, before revealing how he had erased those doubts.  “By putting him in with Pacquiao!” he laughed.  “I put him in with Manny on the first day for some sparring, Amir held his own, and gave some of his own stuff back.  I felt that it was do-or-die for him, if he got knocked out he was going back home, if he held his own he could stay.  In the end he was very competitive.  Amir is a great guy to train with, he is like Manny, they both have discipline and train very hard, they want to learn, they’re both great.”

Roach was in Amir’s corner for the breakthrough win over Marco Antonio Barrera, as mentioned, Roach would like to see Amir take on Hatton in the near future, but has another Mexican legend in his sights in the meantime.

“I would like to see Amir make his American debut soon,” Roach told me.  “They would love him over in America.  I am looking at maybe Erik Morales when he makes his comeback.  That is who I’d like to go against next, or guys of that nature.  We have the new ‘Mexican Assassin’ in Amir.”

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