Retiring too early would haunt me forever - Khan

Amir Khan feels he has plenty still to offer to boxing and says retiring too early would "haunt me forever".

Khan was beaten by Terence Crawford in a WBO welterweight title bout on Saturday after succumbing to a low blow in the sixth round in New York.

The 32-year-old insisted after that he had been hit "in the balls" and would not ordinarily have bowed out early.

Khan also disputed suggestions he could now be done in boxing and reiterated that point as he explained how a premature retirement would hurt him.

"When you get older, everything changes," he told the Independent. "The whole ball game changes and everything you do is for your family

"But boxing is one of those sports where, once I leave the sport, I don't want to come back. I know I give my family a heart attack every time I fight and they hate me fighting, but it's just going to be for this one time in my life.

April 20th at the famous Madison Square Garden in New York. The fight didnt end the way both fighters would of wanted. I would like to thank Toprank, Team Crawford and Espn. I move on now, family time then back to work (boxing), finally thank to all the fans who came 2support. pic.twitter.com/K5nmqMQg48

— Amir Khan (@amirkingkhan) April 22, 2019

"Then after that, I can spend the rest of my life with my family. I know it hurts them and upsets them, but it's what I'm good at doing.

"I have to be ready to finish. I don't want to finish thinking, 'Could I have fought again?' You have to do it at the right time. It has to be a solid decision. Retiring at the wrong time would haunt me forever. It would haunt anyone."

But Khan believes he will enjoy retirement when it does come, adding: "These next couple of weeks will be quite interesting.

"I have to sit down with my close friends and also my wife. I'm at the age of 32 now, but I feel like I've got a lot left in me. Retirement is not something I'm looking at and I definitely wouldn't want to leave the sport in this way.

"I think retirement will be nice - one day, when I do retire. I think I will enjoy it because it would take a lot of pressure off me. You are then a free man."