Junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan(Above), perhaps one fight away from the biggest fight in the 140-pound division against unified titleholder Timothy Bradley Jr., will fight in his native England for the first time in more than a year when he meets Paul McCloskey(Below) at the MEN Arena in Manchester on April 16. "I am delighted that this fight has finally been put together following some tough negotiations," Khan said in a statement Saturday. "This is a matchup the British public want to see and will be a fantastic fight between two of the best light welterweights in the country." Khan and Bradley, who defeated Devon Alexander on Jan. 29 to unify two of the major belts, could meet for division supremacy on July 30. Discussions for that HBO fight are in its infancy, but Khan needs to defeat McCloskey, the European champion, if it is to happen. HBO will televise Khan-McCloskey on same-day tape in the United States while Sky Box Office will carry it live on pay-per-view in Britain. HBO plans to pair the fight with live coverage of Andre Berto's welterweight defense against Victor Ortiz, who would move up from junior welterweight, from a site to be determined in the U.S. Berto-Ortiz is close to being finalized. "Amir is back. The 'King' is back. It's his homecoming, his first fight at home in over 12 months," said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, Khan's promoter. "He is excited to take on an undefeated fighter in Paul McCloskey. He is looking forward to the showdown. I am still working with [Berto promoter] Lou DiBella to finalize the live fight from the U.S., Berto-Ortiz. It will be a great night of boxing." Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) will be returning to the arena where he won his world title on a near-shutout decision against Andriy Kotelnik in July 2009. Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=6094213
