Amir Khan hits back at Kell Brook after Wembley title challenge: 'I'd love to shut him up'

Amir Khan has hit back at Kell Brook after the IBF welterweight champion challenged him to a title fight in June, claiming that he would love to "shut him up".

Brook retained his belt for the first time on 28 March, making light work of mandatory challenger Jo Jo Dan in front of a passionate home crowd at Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield.

In what was his first bout since being stabbed in the leg while on holiday in Tenerife in September 2014, the 28-year-old set the tempo early and forced his durable Romanian opponent to retire on his stool prior to the start of the fifth round.

Following the one-sided contest, in which Dan was sent sprawling to the canvas on no less than four separate occasions, promoter Eddie Hearn laid down the gauntlet to Khan by insisting that he give the public what they want by agreeing to a lucrative summer match at Wembley.

Brook echoed those calls and goaded his fellow Briton, claiming that he was 'delicate around the whiskers'. Such a statement appears to have angered Khan, who has responded by questioning the quality of Brook's previous opponents and accusing him of disrespect.

"He's only beaten one good fighter - [Shawn] Porter," Khan told ESPN as reported by Sky Sports. "He needs some good wins against the likes of [Brandon] Rios, [Juan Manuel] Marquez, [Keith] Thurman, [Marcos] Maidana and the fight will be even bigger.

"I'd love to shut him up. Why give someone a payday when they constantly disrespect you all the time? The fight will happen when it's meant to happen. Before the fight he said I bring nothing to the table, no title and he don't need to fight me as he's the champion. Now he's calling me out."

America-based Khan did appear to leave the door open to beginning talks over the so-called 'War of the Roses', although it seems that he would prefer to stage the fight later in the year or potentially even in 2016 as he focuses in the short-term on boxers that can continue to help boost his profile across the Atlantic.