Biography text
Haroon Khan (boxer)
British and Pakistani professional boxer
Haroon Iqbal Khan[2][3] (born 10 May ) is a British and Pakistani professional boxer, and Commonwealth Games Bronze medallist.
Personal life
Khan was born in Bolton, England, to a Pakistani Punjabi family with roots in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.[4]
He is the younger brother of former WBA and IBF World Light Welterweight Champion Amir Khan and is the first cousin of English cricketer Sajid Mahmood, related through a Paternal grandfather, Lal Khan, who came to England after being discharged from the Pakistan Army.[5]
Prior to boxing, Khan played football for his local club before the club was eventually shut down.
Khan supports his local football team Bolton Wanderers and he also enjoys Indian Premier League cricket. His all-time favorite boxer is Oscar De La Hoya.[6]
In , Khan married Arifa Janjua in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.[7] Khan and Janjua then flew back to Bolton where their Walima took place.[8]
Amateur career
Khan took up boxing through watching his older brother prevail at the sport as a youngster,[9] as an amateur, he fought in the Bantamweight class where he held 66 wins and 19 losses.
Khan has previously won the Junior ABA Championships once and Junior Four Nations Challenge twice.[6]
Commonwealth Games
The highlight of his Amateur career came when he qualified for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi following a defeat over Tanzanian boxer Sunday Elias with a blow to the head in the third round.[10]
Khan chose to represent Pakistan[11] after being overlooked by the Team GB selectors in favor of Andrew Selby, who he went on to beat in the quarter-finals,[12] and was thus guaranteed a medal before losing out to the eventual gold medalist, Indian boxer Suranjoy Singh.
He became one of two Pakistanis to win a bronze-medal for boxing in the Commonwealth Games, the other being Muhammad Waseem.[13]
Olympics ban
Khan was banned by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) from representing Pakistan in World Amateur Boxing Championships, a qualifier to the Olympics, as he prepared for the tournament because he had represented for England as a youth even though he gained Pakistani citizenship in His father tried to appeal the ban but failed to have it lifted.[14]
Professional career
Super flyweight
Khan debuted at super flyweight, and was coached by Oliver Harrison, his elder brother Amir Khan's former coach.[6]
Professional boxing record
| 7 wins (3 knockouts, 4 decisions), 0 losses (0 knockouts, 0 decisions), 0 draws[1] | |||||||
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Type | Rd. | Date | Location | Notes |
| Win | Gyula Dodu | KO | 2 | Robin Park Center, Wigan, Greater Manchester | |||
| Win | Patrik Bartos | TKO | 1 | Bolton Whites Hotel (formerly De Vere Whites), Bolton, Greater Manchester | |||
| Win | 5–0 | Csaba Kovacs | PTS | 6 | De Vere Whites, Reebok Stadium, Bolton, Greater Manchester | ||
| Win | 4–0 | Francis Croes | PTS | 4 | Ice Sheffield, Coleridge Road, Sheffield, Yorkshire | ||
| Win | 3–0 | Stefan Slavchev | PTS | 4 | Winter Gardens, Blackpool, Lancashire | ||
| Win | 2–0 | Vincente Medellin | TKO | 1 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey | American Debut | |
| Win | 1–0 | Brett Fidoe | PTS | 4 | Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield, Yorkshire | Professional Debut | |
Awards
In January , he was awarded the Best at Sport award at the British Muslim Awards.[15]