Boxers usually spend their time trying not to get their teeth knocked out. Amir Khan is taking a different tack.
Pre-fight press conferences are among the more insane events on modern sport. Fake fights, real fights, off the wall comments and insults that would make even the John Terry trial barristers blush are par for the course.
In case you hadn’t heard, this is a big weekend for the British boxer. His rematch with Lamont Petersen was cancelled in May after the American failed a drugs test so instead the Olympic silver medallist is facing Danny Garcia in Las Vegas on Saturday, with the WBC light-welterweight belt on the line.
And right up with some of the oddest stuff we have ever heard at a pre-fight presser was Khan’s little insight into his dietary preparation, which extends to his toothpaste, which he changed on advice from conditioning expert Ruben Tabares.
“Working with Ruben has been brilliant,” Khan told Sky Sports. “The first thing he made me do was change my toothpaste. He’s made me change to a non-fluoride toothpaste because apparently fluoride is really dangerous, contains rat poison or something and can even kill you.
“I’m one of those guys who listens to what my trainers tell me – even if it sounds a little bit strange sometimes – and I do it anyway. I do ask why, though, and that’s the example he gave me. Who knows if that’s the truth!”
While we know there is a well-established lobby advocating the dangers of too much fluoride, especially to younger children, we’re pretty sure that our bathroom tube of minty stuff wouldn’t kill anything, never mind a rat.
Anyway, if Khan is so focused he believes it does then we hold out little hope for Garcia this weekend.
And whatever happens, it should still be more interesting than the David Haye/Dereck Chisora bout on earlier in the evening.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
