I’m A Celeb South Africa: ‘It was like another day at the office!’ Amir Khan tells campmates he knew it was time to hang up his boxing gloves after he stopped feeling nervous in the ring
He bowed out of a successful 27 year boxing career back in early 2022.
And Amir Khan opened up on the reasoning behind his decision to retire during Tuesday evening’s episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Here! South Africa.
The former world champion, 36, detailed losing his ‘passion’ for the sport to his campmates as the stress began to pile.
Describing it as a ‘burden off his shoulders’, the sportsman explained that while hoping to stay on, he realised that his love for the sport had faded.
‘By that last fight, I wasn’t even nervous, it was like another day at the office. And someone said to me that that when you start thinking like that is when you should give up, because you’ve lost love for it,’ Amir explained.
‘It’s a burden off of my shoulders’: I’m A Celeb South Africa’s Amir Khan spoke on life after boxing in the jungle during Tuesday’s episode as he detailed losing his ‘love’ for the sport
Beginning the conversation with his fellow celebrities, the boxer explained that he’s now wondering what is to come in the future since retiring.
He shared: ‘I’ve done everything in life and i’m like, what’s next?’
As Carol Vorderman interjected that he would ‘never stop’, Amir replied: ‘My life was so fast and i’ve done everything like training camps, press conferences, flying around and all these other things.
‘But now that boxing has stopped – it’s a big burden off of my shoulders,’ he added.
It wasn’t a bad time to hang up the gloves either, after a string of impressive victories throughout his career.
An Olympic silver medallist at 17, a world champion at 22, the unified holder of WBA and IBF light-welterweight belts at 24 – he certainly impressed inside the ring.
Last year, Amir took to Twitter to announce that he was stepping down, sharing: ‘It’s time to hang up my gloves. I feel blessed to have had such an amazing career that has spanned over 27 years.
‘I want to say a heartfelt thanks and to the incredible teams I have worked with and to my family, friends and fans for the love and support they have shown me.’
Hanging up the gloves: He bowed out of a successful 27 year boxing career back in early 2022
Retiring: ‘It was like another day at the office. And someone said to me that that when you start thinking like that is when you should give up, because you’ve lost love for it,’ Amir explained
He last entered the jungle during I’m A Celeb’s 17th series back in 2017 – entertaining fans with his confident attitude and cheeky escapades.
And returning for round two, the sportsman has once again been fascinating his campmates with more stories.
During Tuesday’s episode, Amir also touched on his lavish £1M wedding to wife Faryal Makhdoom back in 2013 – revealing that a whopping 4,000 guests attended.
While the couple tied the knot originally before 400 guests in New York city, they went on to have the massive second bash in the UK – with the affair seeing the likes of footballers Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand, and boxers Ricky Hatton and David Haye in attendance.
Amir and Faryal sold pictures of themselves sat on ostentatious gold thrones during their wedding to Hello! magazine for an undisclosed sum, while he performed a full Bollywood dance routine with his ushers.
Explaining how the guest list expanded so much, he said: ‘Family, friends — everyone likes to be there.
‘If you call one family member, they want to bring their auntie, uncle, cousin, sister. The ice-cream van man got an invitation as well!’
‘There were that many people there. It was a like a massive gala, like a big event. That’s why now, if I was ever to do it again, it would be me and the wife, and keep it really simple.’
Big bash: TDuring Tuesday’s episode, Amir also touched on his lavish £1M wedding to wife Faryal Makhdoom back in 2013 – revealing that a whopping 4,000 guests attended
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