Boxing legend Amir Khan among key names behind ‘Global Fighters’ Association’ as they launch funding campaign

Ring legend Amir Khan was one of the co-founders of the Global Fighters’ Association – and now he’s asking for help as they launch their funding campaign.

Khan, a former unified boxing world champion, is one of the major names behind the union which formed in October of 2022. The GFA encompasses all of combat sports and has been open to MMA fighters as well as boxers for the last four years.

Ex-fighter Paul Smith founded the GFA alongside Martin O’Shea, his brother Stephen Smith, former world champions Khan and Bernard Dunne, Labour in Business executive Phil McCauley, as well as ex-GMB South leader Paul Maloney.

The Global Fighters’ Association has announced that they are kicking off a major fundraising campaign that calls on the general public from fight fans to fighters to donate to what they are calling ‘one of the most important Crowdfunder campaigns for many years’.

The GFA have signed up King’s Counsel lawyer Jonathan Caplan who is known as the UK’s number one King’s Counsel for health and safety and for regulatory justice inquiries.

He will lead a process which combines a standard public inquiry with the more intimate question and answer approach of a House of Commons Select Committee.

A statement released today noted that “Each final report will be the result of an exhaustive process of hearing testimony from the most experienced operators within combat sport at all levels.”

This will include “fighters, coaches, physios, doctors, surgeons, referees, judges, promoters, boards of control and governing bodies, media commentators, venues, managers and the friends and families of fighters themselves.”

“There has to be an organisation that’s above everything, that we can all report to when something goes wrong,” Amir Khan – one of the organization’s co-founders explained. “Whether that’s in training, at a weigh-in, in a contract, or in retirement. The GFA is that organisation.”