TO some Amir Khan is just another flash, multimillionaire boxer… but I saw the real side of him only minutes after we met.
Having raked in a whopping £60MILLION just from fighting, he’s been able to afford a life that few can even dream of.
Khan’s been pictured behind the wheel of fast cars, welcomed cameras into homes as big as hotels and loves to wear expensive jewellery.
On his rise to becoming one of British boxing’s greats he would also trash-talk opponents.
With his beautiful, successful wife on his arm, it’s little wonder some boxing fans find it hard to relate to the cocky lad from Bolton.
So I was floored when I met him.
I spoke to the British legend in Dubai – where he now lives with his family – while he was supporting his protege Haider Khan – of no relation – in his MMA fight.
The last time I interviewed Khan was in Saudi Arabia last February – albeit briefly – about a potential comeback and the legacy he’s left.
A year on, and not much changed as I quizzed him on similar topics.
But this time I got to see the kind-hearted nature of Khan, who single-handedly revived Great Britain’s Olympic boxing hopes in 2004.
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Khan agreed to leave his VIP cageside seat to speak to me, while I sprinted from the press area to ensure I didn’t miss my one-to-one opportunity.
But as I tried to take Khan backstage to find a quieter place to talk – security stopped me in my tracks.
They failed to recognise who the former light-welterweight champion of the world was – refusing to let him backstage without a media pass.
I feared my interview chances would be KO’d there and then – but Khan showed his humanity and laughed off the snub.
The boxing great – one of the best and most recognisable to ever come out of our shores – was far too humble to tell the jobsworth security who he was.
If I wasn’t in such a rush to get interviewing Khan, I would’ve explained to the staffer that he was talking to the man that won Olympic silver aged just 17.
The legend who lifted world championships at 22 and retired with one of the best records of the modern era.
But, we were against the clock so luckily a member of staff with security clearance brought Khan through.
And just as I thought we could get the interview underway, a member of the Coca-Cola Arena – originally from Manchester – recognised Khan.
And again, the down-to-earth 38-year-old was asking this super-fan all about her life, why she now lives in Dubai, why she left England.
Sensing my precious time with Khan was slipping away, I did finally manage to get our chat underway.
But still, I was left stunned with the lack of ego he had shown in just the short period we had rubbed shoulders.
Khan helped keep funding for Team GB alive after medalling in Athens before turning pro a year later as an already household name.
And before even winning his first world title in 2009, he was a pay-per-view star making huge amounts of money.
Khan then took his career to America and that’s when he really made the big bucks.
And outside of the ropes, Khan has made waves.
He married Faryal Makhdoom in 2013 and their relationship has been under the spotlight ever since.
It’s something the couple at times courted, having taken part in three seasons of reality TV series Meet the Khans: Big in Bolton.
Khan has been accused of cheating on Faryal several times over the years – causing them to almost split.
But the boxer has hailed New York-born Faryal as “very forgiving” after admitting to doing “silly things” in his past.
The couple now appear happier than ever and share three children, Lamaisah, ten, Alayna, six and Muhammad Zaviyar, four.
They are also living in Dubai after leaving the UK in the wake of Khan’s horrifying gunpoint robbery.
Khan had a £72,000 watch snatched off him by a masked gunman on the streets of East London in April 2022.
A gun was pointed at Khan’s face – in front of terrified wife Faryal – before robbers demanded his diamond-encrusted Franck Muller Vanguard Chronograph watch.
Two men – Dante Campbell and Ahmed Bana – later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and possession of an imitation firearm.
Bana was jailed for nine years and eight months – while Campbell was locked up for seven years and nine months.
The watch was also returned by police – but Khan was too fearful to remain living at home.
He told us: “Look, I can walk around wearing anything, doing anything.
“I can leave my car door open, it’s just so much safer here. I think the law is much more strict, I think people like us need that.”
Khan still enjoys the finer things in life, posing in supercars, showing off his collection of luxury watches and settling down in a huge mansion.
He also gives back.
Khan runs his own humanitarian foundation, helping construct schools and orphanages in Africa and providing disaster relief in Pakistan, Nepal, and England.
More recently, Khan has been helping victims of the Gaza attacks, providing food and supplies to those affected.
He also helps mentor young fighters, like Adam Azim and Tal Singh, which keeps him in the sport.
But Khan is no longer a fighter – as of now anyway – having retired in 2022 after finally facing nemesis Kell Brook.
It was a rivalry born from their amateur days and spanning nearly two decades by the time they shared the ring – admittedly past their primes.
Khan was stopped in six rounds and hung up his gloves afterwards – doing so with no regrets and a new pal in Brook.
He said: “I had to do it for the UK fans, the British fans.
“They wanted to see that fight and even though I knew I was done, I still had to give them that UK fight between me and Kell Book.
“I mean we’re friends now, we were never friends. Sometimes it takes punching each other in the face to become friends.”
Khan fought a who’s who across four different weights, from greats of the past and present.
But it is only now in retirement that he gets the flowers he truly deserves.
He said: “When you retire, that’s when you realise you was a great champion for Great Britain.
“I put some great fights on television at home. I had great times, UK fans, I do love them and they were amazing.”
You’d think with his multiple charities, looking after the next crop of fighters and being such a family man, Khan would stay happily retired.
But his name continues to be called out, by the new-wave of celebrities-turned-boxers like KSI.
And he grinned: “Look we’re prize fighters, we talk numbers.
“If the numbers match then yeah, it’s a fight, but if not, then if it’s all just hype and talk, it’s not gonna work.
“But look,yeah there was talks about it and they asked me a question, if I’ll be up for it.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m a fighter. Every fighter is up for a fight so yeah, let’s see.”
Khan – who has boxed since the age of 11 – has achieved everything there is to in boxing.
But while returning for just one more bout against prankster-turned-prizefighter would earn him another handsome payday – it also comes at the risk of ruining his reputation.
And as I found out first-hand, that reputation is of a legend inside and outside of the ring, who I will always thank for letting me meet up close and personal.
