Amir Khan claims his mum’s victory over cancer has fired him up to beat Kell Brook on Saturday night.
Falak was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given just three months to live at the start of last year.
Khan kept a vigil by her side with his family and rejoiced when she was given the all-clear following surgery a few months ago.
She is now in remission and Khan says seeing her overcome the odds to beat cancer has motivated him to settle his 20-year score with Brook at Manchester’s AO Arena.
“Mum’s good now, she’s safe,” he told Mirror Sport. “She’s beaten cancer, which is massive.
“Her operation was a success and then this fight was announced, and I could focus fully on it.
“It would have been very hard for me trying to train if I knew she was in hospital. It would have been very difficult, but luckily it worked out well.
“Seeing her beat cancer, makes me even more determined to beat Kell Brook.
“I’ll definitely dedicate it to my mum if I win. It’s been a tough year for her, but she came through it. I want to win for her.”
The pair have taken trash talking to a new low with their racist and homophobic slurs in the build-up to their grudge match.
Khan continued the theme when he belittled Brook, saying he knows in his heart he is better than him.
“When I knock Kell Brook out, 100 per cent this will be one of my sweetest wins,” the former unified light-welterweight champ.
“With everything he’s saying, it will be nice to beat him in good fashion.
“He knows deep down, I’m the better fighter and I can see that in his eyes, he’s not confident.”
Khan steadfastly refused to face Brook until now and feels he has picked the ideal moment to fight him in their 149lbs catchweight contest because the former IBF welterweight champ is shot.
He was unimpressed by his display in losing in four rounds to Terence Crawford in his last fight in November 2020 and feels his batterings by Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence Junior have taken their toll.
“I can’t see Brook winning this fight,” said Khan. “I don’t think he has the skill set to beat me. Maybe a couple of years ago, but not now.
“I don’t think Kell can take a shot. I think he’s gun shy. There’s nothing he’s got that worries me.”
At 35, Khan is also well past his prime and this bitter Battle of Britain will be decided by who has the most left in the tank.
Khan insists that will be him, despite coming off three years of semi-retirement and not impressing since beating Chris Algieri in 2015.
His punch resistance has waned and the heavier-handed Brook will be dangerous, especially if he switches off, which is he prone to do.
Brook, 35, is the bigger man and it is a sign of Khan’s concern that he wants a rehydration limit to stop the Sheffield fighter bulking up after weighing-in.
Although this fight should have happened years ago, it has still gripped the imagination of the fans who snapped up all available 22,000 tickets inside minutes and the hundreds of thousands more who will watch on Sky Sports Box Office.
They know both fighters are well past their best, but that does not lessen their desire to see who will win to settle their 20-year feud.
Khan is adamant he will be the one with his hand held aloft come the end.
“I’ve always been better and on Saturday I will prove it,” he said.
