Guardian.co.uk
Khan, 23, will make his US debut when he puts his WBA light-welterweight title on the line. Although he and Malignaggi have exchanged barbed comments throughout the build-up to this fight, Khan felt the American had crossed a line by questioning his Wild Card Gym stablemate Manny Pacquiao's reluctance to agree to blood-testing ahead of any potential fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
"He was saying I was on drugs as well and how big I had gone, but working with Alex Ariza [Roach's fitness and nutrition expert] and looking at how my body has changed, to be honest I've gone a lot slimmer," Khan said. "I was a big, big lightweight and I've trimmed down and made my legs bigger.
"What people like Paulie Malignaggi don't realise is the work ethic and the training that me and Manny put into our work. We work so hard and it just disrespects the trainers because they help us so much, push us 110% and do a wonderful job with us."
Khan believes the hard work he has put in under both Roach and Ariza has transformed his career after he left his home town of Bolton to train at the Wild Card in Los Angeles following the only defeat of his professional career, a one-punch, first-round knockout by Breidis Prescott in 2008.
"Since I've been in the Wild Card Gym with Freddie and Alex I think I've come on so much both mentally and physically," he said. "(I have been) using my brain, using my skills instead of just jumping in using my heart.
"The heart is there when I need to dig deep but instead of just going in there not using my brain – I used to get caught with stupid shots – now I'm picking the right shots at the right time and it's made a massive difference in my style. When we put it all together and we spar I see the differences from before.
"I had the skills, I just needed someone to bring it out of me and to give me the confidence; to say 'Look, use your brain instead of using your speed, your power. Rely on your boxing skills', and that's what I've done. Now I have my boxing skills and my speed and power."
Khan said he sought out Roach as a trainer "who's going to take me to the next level and bring the best out of me". He added: "I watch those old fights and I'm thinking 'If I was fighting myself...'
"My left hand was very low and I could get caught with a right hand and then I used to jump in with my body first and leave my back leg behind so my stance was wide and I used to be square on a lot of times and just look for that one big shot. But that's experience, I've learned from that and it's made me a better fighter."
He praised Ariza and Roach for putting him straight on the importance of making weight in a proper manner.
"I used to eat what I want, on a junk diet and used to think I could make my weight easy and kill myself over the last four or five days," said Khan. "But now I do it professionally. I work my way down and Freddie is always on my case or Alex's case, 'What's Amir's weight now?' They work together and I make the weight easily and I feel so much stronger."
Khan promised to beat Malignaggi in style and join Ricky Hatton as the only fighters to have stopped the 29-year-old American.
"If you look at his last few fights, even the guys that have beaten him, I don't think anyone has beaten him in the style which I'm going to beat him. I want to do a good job on him.
"We've got a gameplan to take into the fight, we'll stick to it and see how he copes with that gameplan. I'll listen to instructions from Freddie and it's a gameplan to stop him and if it's early, it's early but I know for a fact it won't go the full distance.
"I'm definitely going to win but not only win, win in a good style."
Source: guardian.co.uk
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