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Third Round Proper
Saturday 6 January 2007
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Amir Khan admits he would love to be a professional footballer - if only he could kick the ball straight.

The Olympic silver medalist, who on Sunday traded in his speedball for the Third Round draw balls, added that much of his football life has been spent on the substitute's bench.

"I can't kick a ball straight," joked the amiable boxer. "If I could choose any other sport apart from boxing, I'd choose football. It's just a shame I can't play.

"I used to play with my friends but I used to sit on the sub's bench everytime. I used to go home with cleaner clothes than when I left! My mum would say 'you've come home clean today'. That's because I was on the bench."

However, with star status comes numerous attractive invitations, and despite admitting his right hook is far superior than his right foot, Khan has still graced the hallowed turf at Anfield.

"I played in the Liverpool legends game at Anfield, but I didn't get a touch of the ball," explained Khan, an avid Bolton fan. "I played in another one at Bradford. I was 100-1 to score the first goal, and I scored the first goal. It meant a lot to me, I was over the moon. I scored on a proper football pitch. I retired then."

Khan is currently training for his tenth professional fight - an eight round bout with Frenchman Rachid Drilzane at the ExCel Arena on Saturday. The unbeaten lightweight added that being so close to his latest outing in the ring, he does not usually like anything to distract his preparations.

"I would never do stuff like this a week before the fight, but this is something else. Everyone would have done it. I would have been mad not to do it. If I had said 'no', I would have been slated.

"I thought it was brilliant. To be invited here to do something like this - every football fan would want to be here for the draw. I was a little nervous, I always am whenever I do things on television.

"Everywhere I went they were saying 'I'm gonna be watching the draw'. That made me even more nervous. The whole of Bolton were watching."

Khan is a regular at the Reebok Stadium, both to watch the team and to use the club's excellent facilities, so there was a little pressure on him to make sure Sam Allardyce's men received a favourable draw.

"If I had picked them a bad draw I would have been battered, I would have got whipped," he insisted.

But a trip to the winners of Mansfield or Doncaster Rovers should keep most Bolton fans happy, and Khan predicted a success for Sam Allardyce's men.

"I think we got a good draw. It's not easy but we should win. I think we will do alright this season. Hopefully we can make it in the UEFA Cup - that will mean a good couple of holidays for me again."