Khan heavy favourite in boxing betting to beat McCloskey

Amir Khan is 1/16 in the boxing betting odds to successfully defend his WBA light-welterweight title when taking on unbeaten Paul McCloskey in April.

Khan has strutted his stuff in the US in his most recent fights, following up on an impressive stoppage of Paulie Malignaggi with a 2010 fight of the year candidate with Marcos Maidana, which he shaded by unanimous decision.

However, he has decided to return to the UK for the first time since 2009 to step into the ring with European champion McCloskey, with the fight scheduled to take place at the MEN Arena in Manchester.

Negotiations between Khan and McCloskey had previously hit a stumbling block, with speculation suggesting that an agreement could not be reached over how much the Irishman should be paid for the showdown.

This opened up other options for Khan when it came to who his next fight would be against, with WBC and WBO champion Timothy Bradley, Victor Ortiz and fellow Englishman John Murray among the names mentioned.

But southpaw McCloskey, who is known to have a tricky style in the ring, has now reached an agreement and will get his opportunity first and look to build on his current 100 per cent winning record from 22 fights.

McCloskey is 7/1 in the boxing odds to beat Khan and will have to cope with a major step up in class to extend his winning streak.

However, he has won his last five fights by knockout and believes that Khan has weaknesses in his armoury that can be exploited.

McCloskey said: “Khan’s not a big puncher. Khan is seen as a superstar but he’s certainly beatable.”

A £25 stake on McCloskey beating Khan and becoming the new WBA light-welterweight champion would return £175. New customers can sign up here for a free £25 bet.