WBA World Light-Welterweight world champion Andreas Kotelnik has entered a top-secret training camp ahead of his June 27 clash with Amir Khan. The pair meet at London’s O2 Arena, topping a mouth-watering evening of boxing. And 31-year-old Kotelnik is desperate not to give anything away before the fight – even if his experienced team know the challenger inside out. “Andreas has begun sparring and he is looking very, very impressive,” said his trainer, Michael Timm.
“But I don’t want anyone to even know who the sparring partners are.
“It’s a secret. We don’t want Khan to get any kind of advantage.”
Yet while Kotelnik is keeping everything under wraps, Timm is leaving no stone unturned in his quest for glory.
“I’ve seen Khan twice as an amateur, at the Olympics and I’ve been watching all his fights as a professional on DVD,” said Timm..
“He’s a very good boxer with good footwork and fast hands.
“Some people say that he has weaknesses, but we are not focusing on his weaknesses, only his strengths.
“I am preparing Andreas Kotelnik for 12 hard rounds against Khan.”
And Timm believes that Kotelnik will benefit from training with his other fighters, including former WBA World Heavyweight Champion Ruslan Chagaev and middleweight king Artur Abraham.
“We are one big team and I see Andreas improving all the time because of the special boxers that he works with,” said Timm.
The experienced cornerman is also looking forward to crossing swords with Khan’s trainer Freddie Roach, having met him when he briefly worked with the Klitschko brothers seven years ago.
“Freddie is a great trainer and I have a lot of respect for him,” said Timm. “But it’s not really about me versus Freddie Roach. It is the boxers who do the fighting, not the trainers.”
Manny Pacquiao To Support Amir Khan vs Andriy Kotelnik
Khan is hoping to get the backing of the world’s P4P king Manny Pacquiao at his up-coming clash with Andreas Kotelnik. Khan meets the slick Ukrainian at London’s O2 Arena on June 27 in a challenge for the WBA world light-welterweight title. And his Filipino gym-mate, who recently KO’d Ricky Hatton, is planning to be ringside to cheer him on. “Manny is back in the Philippines at the moment, but he’s said that he would like to come to the fight, and we’ll look after him,” said Khan. “It will be good to have him there.”
Khan, 22, has sparred with Pacquiao ahead of his last two fights, impressive stoppage victories over Oisin Fagan and Marco Antonio Barrera.
And although Pacquiao won’t be in Freddie Roach’s Wildcard gym in the build up to the Kotelnik tussle, Khan says that the Pacman is still an inspiration.
“I train as hard as Pacquiao, if not harder, and watching him working in the gym gives me a real buzz,” said Khan.
“It’s a privilege being around such a great fighter, and I learn from him all time.”
But Bolton-born Amir draws the line at Pacquiao’s infamous training routine of being beaten with sticks.
“I’ve not done that yet, but I’ve got a great trainer in Freddie and a great nutritionist and they will make sure that I am stronger than I have ever been for this fight.”