Former unified light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan has been named WBC Middle East boxing council president.

The 33 year-old, who staged his last fight against Billy Dib in Saudi Arabia in July last year, has promoted the idea of big boxing events taking place in the Middle East for some time.

And WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman was thrilled to reveal Khan as the newest member of their set-up.

He said: "I am confident that under the leadership of champion Amir Khan, the culturally diverse Middle East region will provide a unique platform for the proper development of our sport.

“With time, we hope the Middle East can produce a new batch of WBC champions. There is a lot of undiscovered talent in the region.

"The WBC is particularly eager to develop female boxing and amateur boxing there as well. Champion Amir Khan has already taken the initial steps to develop boxing in Pakistan."

The appointment throws into doubt Khan’s future in the ring as he has already not fought for more than a year.

In an interview with talkSPORT earlier in 2020, Khan feared the coronavirus pandemic may mean he has to retire from the sport.

"I’m within touching distance of a title fight, but the thing is, I don’t know how long this (pandemic) is going to last," he said.

"I’m 33 now and I’m only getting older, I’m not getting any faster. It’s even harder for me now to keep my weight down, to go in the gym and commit all my time.

"I’ve got a family now, I’ve got three kids. If this goes on any longer, it’s going to be very hard for me to stay in the sport. Let’s hope it doesn’t last too long."

Khan was beaten by American Terence Crawford in his last world title fight in April 2019 when the Brit refused to continue following a low blow.