Paul McCloskey and his army of Irish fans make it a valid defence for Amir Khan, says Glenn McCrory.
McCloskey and his fans will make it a Manchester night to remember
The first thing to say about Amir Khan's next fight is that Paul McCloskey deserves his chance to fight for a world title.
He's won the British title and he is the European champion. At 31, he is a tough, wily southpaw who knows his way around the ring. He has done nothing wrong at all.
And more importantly, he is undefeated - Amir Khan isn't. We have seen the chinks in his armour, they have been exposed and no matter what anyone says about McCloskey, we don't know what his weaknesses are yet.
He is ranked fifth by the WBA which, when you consider this is a voluntary defence, is not bad at all.
Of course there will be plenty of people saying Amir should be fighting a big-name American and I can see their point, but this is a world champion fighting a European champion and they are both British. That in itself is something to look forward to.
It will be a great occasion in Manchester as well; the Irish will make sure of that! The MEN Arena will be packed out and there will be plenty heading over from Northern Ireland.
Fanatical
We all remember the tremendous support Barry McGuigan got all those years ago and more recently, Martin Rogan fights were always a great occasion because of the fanatical following from across the Irish Sea.
They love their sport and they love their fighters; give them someone to cheer and they'll be here in force. McCloskey might just be that man.
Of course, one man who knows how to fill the MEN Arena is Ricky Hatton and it's great to see him back involved in boxing at the highest level.
It's great just to see Ricky back on his feet and doing so well, but if there is one man that is synonymous with great nights in Manchester, it is him.
Who else could pack 50,000 into the City of Manchester Stadium, take 30,000-odd fans out to Las Vegas? He is Mr Manchester and the Khans have made a smart move linking up with him.
Flash
I do think Amir has the ability to attract a similar sort of following and if those fans are looking for a new hero, then who better than a normal, down-to-earth kid from Bolton? That is exactly what Amir is; like Ricky there is nothing flash about him, he's a smashing lad and above all, he will fight anyone.
What that means is that Amir Khan fights are never dull. We saw that against Marcos Maidana when he was involved in one of the fights of the year. He did get hurt badly, but his chin withstood the test.
But that Breidis Prescott defeat means every fighter - including McCloskey - will go into the ring with him thinking they have got a real chance.
We have seen Amir knocked out spectacularly and we have also seen him win spectacularly. When he came to Newcastle a couple of fights back to take on Dmitriy Salita, there was a real buzz in the city all week long. Ok, when it came to the fight, he was clearly a class above but what he did was blow that guy out of there in devastating fashion.
Say what you like about Amir Khan but he wants to put on a show; there is no taking his time, no drawing things out, he wants to win and win in style. And say what you like about Paul McCloskey, but he deserves this shot - and I am sure Irish eyes will be smiling all week long when it comes.
