THE former manager of Amir Khan has defended bare-knuckle boxing and urged a councillor to give it a chance.

Asif Vali worked with the Bolton boxer for a number of years and wants Cllr Sue Howarth to attend an event today.

It comes after she criticised the sport and said it is more suited to a Guy Ritchie film rather than Bolton after an event was announced in the town to take place today at Memorial Hall in Gilnow Lane.

Mr Vali is involved in organising an event at Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester, also taking place tonight and has said the sport often gets presented in a bad light but is calling for proper regulation to become the norm.

He said: "I know that local Bolton councillor, Sue Haworth, has said she isn’t happy with the sport and she thinks it’s all just like something from a Guy Ritchie film, but I’d like to invite her to our show to see what it’s truly like.

“Because the sport, like white collar boxing, isn’t regulated, the British Boxing Board of Control won’t accept it, but I’m hoping that very soon it will become regulated because we want to make it as safe as possible."