Boxer Amir Khan has revealed he fled to Dubai following a terrifying gunpoint robbery which left him feeling too scared to stay in Britain.
The 38-year-old man was singled out because of his expensive £72,000 Franck Muller Vanguard Chronograph watch while having dinner with his wife Faryal Makhdoom and friend Omar Khalid at the Sahara Grill in Leyton, located in east London.
An armed robber ran at Khan and yelled at him to ‘take off the watch’, while pointing a gun to his face on April 18, 2022.
Dante Campbell and Ahmed Bana later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and possession of an imitation firearm.
One of the attackers, Bana, received a sentence of nine years and eight months, while his accomplice Campbell was sentenced to seven years and nine months. Fortunately, the police were able to recover the stolen watch.
This terrifying incident prompted the boxer to relocate his family, which includes his three children – Lamaisah, aged ten, Alayan, aged six, and Muhammad Zaviyar, aged four – to Dubai, a distance of over 4,000 miles.
Reflecting on his daily life in the lavish Middle Eastern city, Khan divulged that he lived a life without fear in the Arab country.
‘I can leave my car door open, it’s just so much safer here. I think the law is much more strict, I think people like us need that,’ he told The Sun.
Pictured: The moment Amir Khan was robbed at gunpoint for his £72,000 Franck Muller Vanguard Chronograph watch on April 18, 2022
The boxer revealed in a recent interview that the ordeal spurred him on to relocate his family to Dubai, UAE (Pictured: Amir Khan, his wife Faryal Makhdoom and his daughters, Lamaisah, ten, Alayan, six)
The athlete was with his wife and friend Omar when he was robbed outside the east London restaurant
Khan said he had sometimes been to cafes in the UK where fights had broken out which would see ‘gang[s] of people outside’.
‘I don’t need that in my life – I’m a retired fighter. I’ve been fighting all my life, there’s no point starting fights on the streets or getting into problems,’ he added.
‘Then the gun crime happened, I just wanted to give the watch away and said, “There you go, what do you want? Do you want the watch? There you go, take it.”
The professional athlete believes his story sends a wider message to discourage people from carrying guns and stealing as ‘the law always catches up on you’.
However the robbery wasn’t the only run-in the former light-welterweight world champion has had with thugs.
In 2012, he and his brother Haroon were attacked by six men, who attempted to nab the boxer’s £125,000 Range Rover – but the brothers managed to fight back against yobs.
In 2017, Khan was also set upon by a group following an occurrence of road rage in Manchester,
But it was the terrifying 2022 gunpoint robbery that cemented his decision to head abroad, adding that the situation could have been worse if his children has been present.
‘I don’t need that in my life – I’m a retired fighter. I’ve been fighting all my life, there’s no point starting fights on the streets or getting into problems,’ he told The Sun
Reflecting on his daily life in the lavish Middle Eastern city, Khan divulged that he lived a life without fear in the Arab country – adding that it was ‘much safer’ than the UK
Despite still holding a candle for the UK and his fans, Khan said it was scary to venture outside of his hometown of Bolton
Although he is adamant that he ‘still loves the UK’, Khan finds it scary to venture outside of his beloved hometown of Bolton when on home soil as he fears being attacked.
‘It’s just when you’ve go out of town it gets a little bit scary sometimes, you just don’t know what can happen, you don’t know the area that well, you don’t know the people there,’ he said.
Khan, who announced his retirement from boxing at the age of 35, expressed his admiration and thanks to the UK fans – despite no longer wanting to stay in the country – describing them as ‘amazing’.
His decision in 2022 came almost three months after he was stopped by his great rival Kell Brook.
That year, he wrote in a statement via X: ‘It’s time to hang up my gloves. I feel blessed to have had such an amazing career that has spanned over 27 years.
‘I want to say a heartfelt thanks and to the incredible teams I have worked with and to my family, friends and fans for the love and support they have shown me.’
