I feel unsafe walking around London – it’s dangerous, says Amir Khan after boxer is robbed of £72k watch

AMIR Khan has today revealed that he feels “very unsafe” walking the streets of London after he had his £72k watch stolen at gunpoint. 

The boxing champ, 35, had a gun held to his head by robbers who targeted him and his wife Faryal, 30, outside of a restaurant in Leyton, East London.

Police are hunting the thugs who snatched his £72,000 Franck Muller Vanguard Chronograph before speeding off in a car.

Amir has now revealed that he thinks London is “very dangerous” and urged fans to keep “safe and well.”

Talking on Good Morning Britain, the boxer said: “At first I thought maybe it’s a friend of mine, trying to scare me. But then I saw the gun and he literally put it in my face.

“I’ve never seen a gun in the UK. For someone to have one on the streets, makes it so unsafe. 

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“I can’t retaliate at all because my wife is next to me. God forbid the person shot the gun and it hit my wife. I’m so glad that she ran back. 

“I was still in London for another two days and I’m walking around I was very scared.

“God forbid someone comes at me in the alleyways and I do honestly feel very unsafe when I’m walking around London because it is very dangerous.”

Hours before the incident Khan had been pictured with a fan while shopping in Oxford Street wearing his flashy timepiece, which is studded with 719 diamonds.

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The Olympic Silver Medallist has previously shown off his flash watches on social media – posing with a £30,000 gold Rolex he said was a “treat” to himself.

He told the ITV show: “For the last 15 years I have been wearing a nice watch, I treat myself after a fight.

“I go and meet fans and I’ve never ever said no to anyone for a picture, a lot of people came over to me in the restaurant.  

“But then, you don’t know if you’ve been set up if someone saw me wearing the watch.

“He’s got an expensive piece on him. You can take that off him. 

“For someone to get a gun, have a car ready. And then to know the timing of me leaving the restaurant and to be there at the same time. 

“It can’t just happen like that. So there’s a lot of questions out there. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan came to my last fight and we’ve known each other a very long time. 

“But as as a person who is looking after London, we have to put these points across. London is a very dangerous place to visit. 

“Since Sadiq has come into power, the crime rate has gone up by thirty per cent. 

“People are being killed just a couple of days ago That could have been me who got shot on Monday, if I got shot I could have died. 

“It is getting very very hard to live in London now. A lot of people coming over from Dubai, Saudi Arabia have been robbed. 

“I think it’d be good to do something with the government to help, and if we can help then I’d love to do that because we just want to make England a safer place.”

He also revealed that his wife Faryal was “against” him wearing flashy jewellery while walking around London.

Faryal said: “You work hard so you should be able to treat yourself but I think Amir sometimes forgets that he could get targeted. 

“You never think this would happen. So it’s a really big wake up call. I don’t think you can really walk the streets of London wearing expensive one.”

Faryal also said she thinks she “ did the right thing” by stepping away from the situation when the gunman threatened her husband. 

‘COULDN’T FIGHT’

She added: “I couldn’t fight the gunman, I couldn’t do anything different.  

“I couldn’t get in front and get shot as well or get that’s when a man feels like he needs to protect his wife. 

“My first instinct was obviously hoping Amir was safe but my thought was my children.

Officers are still appealing for anyone with information about the incident to come forward. 

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Police were called at 21:15hrs on Monday, 18 April to High Road, Leyton.

“A man aged in his 30s is alleged to have been approached by two males who threatened him with a firearm before stealing his watch and fleeing. 

“There were no reports of any shots fired or any injuries.

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“Police responded and conducted an area search. At this very early stage there have been no arrests.

“An investigation has begun and police are following a number of enquiries.”

Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk