Khan closes on trainer

Khan: June defence

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Amir Khan expects to appoint a new permanent trainer after his Commonwealth lightweight title defence against Michael Gomez on June 21.

Khan's corner will be led by Dean Powell for the first time that night following his sudden split with Oliver Harrison.

After the fight, Khan and his camp will head to the United States to discuss the vacancy with a number of candidates.

Former two-weight world champion Buddy McGirt has emerged as the clear favourite having already jetted over to the UK to speak to the Khan camp and reveal his interest in the post.

Queuing

Khan's father Shah said: "We're going to go to America after Amir's next fight to see different people. The trainers are queuing up to work with Amir.

"We've had loads of phone calls from trainers on both sides of the Atlantic. We've got a big decision to make in the coming week and the final decision will be Amir's."

New Yorker McGirt, 44, has worked with top names including light-heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver, former heavyweight champion Lamon Brewster and Arturo Gatti.

Most recently, he was in Manchester last month to take charge of Paulie Malignaggi's below-par win over Lovemore N'Dou which set up a prospective clash with Ricky Hatton later this year.

Khan is yet to completely rule out the possibility of a permanent link-up with Powell if his defence against Gomez goes to plan. But it is increasingly likely McGirt's appointment will be finalised sooner rather than later.