Amir Khan says boxing is not 'a sport for thugs'

Former WBA and IBF light welterweight champion Amir Khan has lashed out on boxing critics, saying that the sport is not meant for thugs.

Boxing has been disparaged recently following an ugly affray involving British heavyweight boxers David Haye and Dereck Chisora, but Khan, who is a British as well, believes boxing is been iniquitously vilified.

It's not a sport for thugs, and the critics who say the whole sport of boxing is bad you can't say that. Two guys brawling can't make the whole sport bad," The Mirror quoted Khan, as saying.

Khan referred to his gym in his hometown of Bolton, and claims the local crime rate has gone down since he opened its doors to take kids off the streets.

"Boxing has sorted out the lives of many people by taking them off the streets. Look at my gym here in Bolton, we've taken so many kids off the streets. This area used to be a really deprived area where they used to be a lot of trouble," he said.

"But the crime rate is down because kids are in the gym burning off their energy, doing something positive with it. Boxing also teaches you discipline in my opinion," Khan said.

He said boxing is the hardest sport in the world and it shouldn't be maligned unfairly.

"It's the toughest sport in the world, so you can't disrespect the sport because it's the best sport out there," he added.