If boxers were floated on the London Stock Exchange, now would be the ideal time to buy shares in Amir Khan.
The British fighter, who first shot to prominence when claiming a silver medal as a teenager at the 2004 Olympic Games, saw his value plummet in May—the moment he failed to avoid a right hand from Saul Alvarez. That punch in Round 6 left Khan out cold on the canvas at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
He had made a decent start to the contest, yet all his carefully considered work in the previous five-and-a-bit rounds was erased in a split second. The gamble of jumping up to middleweight (well, to a "Canelo-weight" of 155 pounds) had failed to pay off.
There was Amir Khan, knocked out again.
Yet while his stock price would have dipped with the defeat, it's too early to give up on the boy from Bolton just yet. At 29, he still has time to recover from the collateral damage he suffered against Alvarez.
First, though, he has to recover from hand surgery. A longstanding problem required an operation—as well as a bit of bone from his hip—to fix.
Despite the layoff, Khan remains positive over his future. He is eager to make a comeback after the disappointment against Alvarez, as he told Gavin Glicksman of the Sun:
I want to fight again in January, then in May and again before the end of 2017.
I’m going to start training and make sure my hand is fully recovered. I don’t want to rush into a fight at the end of this year.
I want my next fight to be in Britain. I know it’s going to have to be a tune-up having lost the Canelo fight and also having had the hand surgery.
He also made clear on Twitter that the move up in weight was only temporary—his future is back down at 147 pounds.
He dazzled at welterweight against Devon Alexander in December 2014, dominating to such an extent that one judge scored it a shutout on his card. Khan made a statement that night in Las Vegas, but he's failed to back it up since.
The plan now, as he outlined to Glicksman, is clear: Return to action on home turf in a warm-up bout, get his rematch against WBC champion Danny Garcia and then defend his new title before the end of the year.
Khan's lack of recent activity in the division has not cost him his place as the governing body's mandatory challenger. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed as much to Phil D Jay of World Boxing News.
That is a boost, because Garcia is a ghost from the past that needs to be exorcised. Their first meeting in 2012 saw Khan—the IBF and WBA super lightweight champion at the time—knocked out in Round 4.
The manner of the defeat, coming after a harrowing KO inside a minute against Colombian Breidis Prescott four years earlier, gave Khan an unwanted reputation for having a weak chin.
In between those two losses, however, Khan survived a tremendous onslaught against Marcos Maidana. For a man with supposed issues staying upright, he remained on two feet under heavy fire during Round 10.
The problem is, Khan's punch resistance is too often tested by his fighting instincts.
Blessed with blistering hand speed, he really has no need to get involved at close quarters. Yet when an opponent lands a big shot, his response is to dig his boots into the canvas and swap punches like a pair of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots being controlled by kids on a sugar high.
That switch, turning him from boxer to brawler in a flash, is part of what makes the Englishman so exciting to watch. It may be asking too much for him to change his ways at this stage. The flight-or-fight response is a reaction we have within all of us—Khan's instincts tell him to stand and trade.
Where he might be willing to consider a new approach, however, is with the media. Never slow to speak his mind, or blow his own trumpet for that matter, Khan's self-inflated opinion of himself rubs some up the wrong way.
His pursuit of potential paydays with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao saw him talk with an air of entitlement, as if he was the only option who should be considered by the pair.
Mayweather Jr. put Khan in his place when he said at the WBC's convention (h/t Matt Morlidge of MailOnline) in 2014: "'No one knows who Amir Khan is, except for people who are involved in boxing."
While Money may have slightly overstated his point, it is hard to argue against the notion that Khan has failed to live up to the early promise he displayed at the Athens Games over a decade ago.
He has some notable scalps on his professional record, but still there's that nagging feeling he could achieve even more. Thankfully, there's still time for him to do just that.
With his previous targets not in play—Mayweather Jr. is retired and insists he will be staying that way, while Pacquiao is booked to face Jessie Vargas in November—Khan has to consider other names.
Garcia is in his sights for the second of three fights he has planned in 2017, but who might be first up?
Considering Khan will want a recognised opponent in the opposite corner, and likely someone ranked high by the WBC, the options are limited.
Andre Berto does fit both criteria. However, according to Mitch Abramson of RingTV.com, he's in negotiations to face Garcia before the end of 2016.
A rematch with Lamont Peterson, who won their first meeting in December 2011, would create interest, yet Khan may not be keen to go back over old ground. They had been due to meet again in 2012, only for the bout to be cancelled when the American failed a drugs test.
Shawn Porter (ranked No. 5 by the WBC) seems a long shot to come to England. Omar Figueroa (No. 8) seems a more likely rival to travel, but Robert Guerrero (previously No. 13) should have slipped off the radar completely after losing to David Peralta in August.
There are other names to consider (Adrien Broner, anyone? Anyone?).
The one that could make the most sense is Kell Brook. The Special One has his hands full right now preparing for Gennady Golovkin on September 10. However, depending on the result, the Englishman could return to the welterweight ranks after his meeting with GGG.
Whoever ends up being next, it wouldn't be a complete surprise if Khan suffered a fifth pro loss. Would another setback see him decide to turn his back on the sport? Quite possibly.
He's already committed a great amount of time and money to his foundation. And, whatever you think of him as a fighter, Khan the humanitarian deserves a great deal of respect.
The idea has even been floated about swapping the boxing ring for the MMA Octagon. Per Chamatkar Sandhu of FloCombat.com, Khan said he would "definitely give it a go."
Of course, he has no interest in taking the easy option, talking up the potential for a fight with Conor McGregor. Per Jefferson Lake of SkySports.com, Khan said: "I'll go and fight Conor McGregor just to prove I'm a real man. I'm not one to back away, I've never backed away from any fight and I never will."
That desire to stand firm in the face of a challenge means you never quite know what will happen next with Khan. It's not a far-fetched idea to see him in MMA by this time next year. It's also completely possible he will be a two-weight world champion after gaining sweet revenge over Garcia.
Shares in Amir Inc. might be a risky investment right now, but they are still worth the gamble.
Who would you like to see Khan face next? And will he ever be a world champion again? Have your say via the comments section.