Khan eyes professional bid](BBC SPORT | Boxing | Khan ponders pro bid)
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Britain’s Olympic boxing silver medallist Amir Khan will hold talks with promoters over a potential move into the professional ranks.
After starring at the Athens Games, the Bolton teenager insisted he would go for gold again at Beijing in 2008.
But just four days after Khan again pledged to stay amateur, his manager Asif Vali told BBC Radio Four he would meet promoters including Frank Warren.
“We will talk to them and see what they have to offer us,” said Vali.
But the English Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) remains hopeful Khan will not turn professional.
Association development officer Paul King said it hopes to offer the 17-year-old a unique £40,000 scholarship.
“We understand people will be queuing up to sign Amir Khan, but we would be very, very disappointed if we had to lose him at this stage,” he said.
On Saturday, Khan confirmed Beijing was his target despite a series of lucrative professional contract offers in recent weeks.
“The future is definitely Beijing. I want that gold medal and I’ve definitely got my eye on it. I’m staying amateur and not turning pro,” he said.
But Vali said he has yet to hear details of what support the ABA could provide.
“We’ve been waiting for the ABA to come back with offers for Amir Khan and it’s taking such a long time we have to think about Amir Khan’s long-term security.”
Khan has seen his life change in the last six weeks, becoming a British sporting celebrity.
He has agreed to film a new series of Superstars and appeared at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium as the guest of honour ahead of their game with Manchester United.
However, Vali said Khan could still stay amateur despite talks planned for next week with two promoters including Warren, who represented Frank Bruno and Naseem Hamed.
A final figure has yet to be agreed with UK Sport, which uses lottery funding to support elite athletes competing in Olympic sports, but the ABA believes it can offer an annual grant of about £40,000.
And, although the rewards are far greater on the professional circuit, Vali said: “If things can be sorted out imminently, we’ll listen to them.”
The ABA believes Khan will be better served by waiting four years before capitalising on his fame.
“We’re in the position to say that we’ve put some money aside for his elite scholarship, the first time that’s ever been done by an amateur body,” said King.
"I’m led to believe that his top level funding will go up drastically to say the very least. It could be about £40,000 and then of course he has commercial opportunities.
“We want to protect him from turning professional too early and give him an opportunity to develop and flourish.”