58 Wednesday January 26 2022 | the timesSport
5Egan Bernal remains in intensive care
in a hospital in Colombia, having suf-
fered serious injuries when he crashed
into the back of a bus on Monday. He
has had two operations, on his spine
and his leg, while he also sustained mul-
tiple fractures and a collapsed lung.
Geraint Thomas, his Ineos Grena-
diers team-mate, last night tweeted alombia with his team-mates Richard
Carapaz, Dani Martínez and Brandon
Rivera and getting ready for the Tour
de la Provence on February 10.
“Egan suffered a fractured vertebrae,
a fractured right femur, a fractured
right patella, chest trauma, a punctured
lung and several fractured ribs in the
crash,” an Ineos statement said. “Doc-
tors were able to medically pin his right
leg and stabilise the vertebrae fracture
in two separate surgeries last night. Heis now in an intensive care unit where
other potential secondary injuries are
being managed, as well as his body’s re-
sponse to the trauma. All of our focus is
on ensuring Egan is given the best
possible care as he starts his recovery.”
Chris Froome, the former Ineos rider,
has yet to recover his best form after
suffering a serious crash a month
before Bernal won the Tour in 2019. He
tweeted yesterday: “My thoughts are
with Egan and his family today.”Cycling
John WesterbyBernal in intensive care after spine and leg surgery following crash
picture of him riding alongside Bernal,
saying: “This guy’s a fighter. Thoughts
with Egan, you’ll be back mate.”
Bernal, 25, won the 2019 Tour de
France, beating Thomas into second
place and denying the Welsh rider a
second consecutive yellow jersey. He
won his second grand tour last year at
the Giro d’Italia and recently signed a
new five-year contract with Ineos. He
was stepping up his preparations for the
new season by riding in his native Co-been a contributory factor. “I did
nothing wrong but they said all this
stuff and there was a bit of racism
there,” he says. “I get [abusive]
messages from people, but I have to
rise above. If I think racism is
everywhere I’m never going to get the
negativity out of my mind.”
Khan’s most explosive era, when
risk and reward went hand in glove,
made him a favourite for American
TV, but a UK audience of eight
million watched him win his Olympic
medal too. That status led to scrutiny
of his personal life and a rift with his
parents was aired in public. The
family have since reconciled.
Khan is proud he took on Álvarez
and Crawford and got through that
traumatic tenth round to beat Marcos
Maidana on his Vegas debut in 2010.
“I want people to remember me as a
champion, someone who entertained
and someone who never ducked
anyone. I was probably daft to go up
in weight to fight Canelo, but I earned
some respect by doing so.”
This may be the last big fight but he
thinks he is good enough for another
title shot. “Boxing’s been good to me,”
he says. “I hope when I’m done they’ll
say: ‘He wasn’t a bad fighter.’ ”‘I look at mum
and know why
I’m a champion’
the top guy and don’t have to act the
tough guy.”
Beyond the barbs and billing, it is
an intriguing all-British duel that will
have consequences for how both are
remembered. Khan was 17 when he
won an Olympic silver medal at
lightweight in 2004. He won his first
world title at light welterweight in
2009 and was a unified champion
when he beat Zab Judah in 2011. Four
of his five losses from his 39 fights
have come in world-title fights, but he
is rusty. It is 30 months since his last
outing, nigh on three years since he
lost to welterweight world champion
Terence Crawford in New York, and
nearly five since he was knocked out
by Saul “Canelo” Álvarez in Vegas.
He has a wife and three children,
aged between one and seven, so why
come back? “Boxing is addictive,” he
says on a call from his Colorado
training camp ahead of his date at the
Manchester Arena. “Lockdown made
me realise how much I missed it.
When I retire, I will never come back
so I have to make sure I get it out of
my system.”
His mother does not like to watch
his fights and Khan says he has two
or three more to go. Brook, also 35,
had said it might be the end of his
road after losing to Crawford in 2020,
his career high of the IBF belt blurred
by the broken eye sockets. In the
interim boxing has become the stage
for YouTubers and celebrity match-
ups. “It’s dangerous for YouTubers to
come in and fight boxers,” Khan says.
“Then again you look at what Jake
Paul did to that MMA guy [Tyron
Woodley], but you don’t want anyone
being hurt really bad. I never see
myself doing exhibitions; when you’ve
made a name for yourself and are a
world champion you are degrading
yourself.”
Legacy is important to him, whichis why he has gone to Colorado to
train with Brian “BoMac” MacIntyre,
who was in Crawford’s corner when
the American beat Khan and Brook.
“It’s been a long time,” Khan says.
“They’ve been kicking my arse like
crazy and it’s been painful, but my
body is getting used to hard training.
It’s been one of the best camps ever. I
have lost so much weight and I
think that at this age I am
getting stronger and
sharper. We all know
I’m the better fighter.
If you compare our
careers, I have
surpassed him but
we’re the same age.
He has no
advantage and has
taken more
punishment than me.
I’m working towards
the best Kell Brook, but I
know whatever he has, I
will have enough.”
He wants the legacy to extend
beyond another notch on the belt and
he points out his silver medal in
Athens proved a saving grace for
Britain’s Olympic programme. “If I
didn’t win that medal then we wouldnot have had Anthony Joshua and
James DeGale come through that
system,” he says. “And look at how
many Asian fighters there are now.
They looked at me and thought if he
can do it then I can. Look at the Azin
brothers [Adam and Hassan] who are
going to be on the same show. They
remind me of myself. They have hope
and they have the mentality.”
The lack of
opportunities for British
Asians in British sport
has been exposed by
Azeem Rafiq’s stand
against racist
bullying at
Yorkshire Cricket
Club. Khan has his
own experiences.
In September he
was removed from a
plane in New York
after a complaint that
his travelling partner’s
Covid mask was not high
enough. He believes the proximity to
the 9/11 anniversary and the way
Muslims are stereotyped may haveMother’s cancer boost
lifts pressure for Amir
Khan on return to
the ring, he tells
Rick Broadbent
B
oxers have a necessary way
of ignoring consequences,
but when Amir Khan’s
mother contracted
pancreatic cancer, the fear
filtered through. Few British boxers
have experienced such fluctuating
fortunes, with an Olympic teen medal
the prelude to world titles and savage
defeats played out against a backdrop
of gossipy headlines, but he is back
for more. Older for sure at 35, he
claims he is wiser too, with his mum’s
parallel fight an enduring inspiration.
If he is dismissive of the personal
dangers before next month’s bout
with Kell Brook in Manchester, it is
good to hear that all is now well at
home after he stated last year that
Falak had had cancer diagnosed.
“Mum is doing really well,” he says.
“She had cancer and she’s beaten it.
It’s hard when there’s a big fight
coming up wondering if your mum is
going to be OK, but the pressure has
been taken off the whole family. I see
it on my dad’s face. And I look at
Mum and know that’s why I am a
champion. I get it from her.”
There will be no title on the line
when Khan takes on Brook at 10st 9lb
in what is being billed a grudge
match, although that is boxing’s
default sales pitch and he seems
dubious. “To me there’s no grudge,”
he says. “I’m a prize-fighter and I
don’t want to be that guy talking
smack to my opponent. I want to beAmir Khan
v Kell Brook
February 19
Manchester
TV: Sky Sports Box
Office, from 7.30pm
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ÁDamage to the bus, which stopped to
allow a passenger off in front of Bernal