Unlike some first-time fathers, Amir Khan believes he has fatherhood under control thanks to the help of one man – his own dad.

The Singaporean lightweight – who will face Kimihiro Eto at ONE: KING OF THE JUNGLE this Friday, 28 February – became a father after the birth of his newborn son, Leonel, last March.

Khan shares a close relationship with his own father, Tajudeen Ansari, and their positive father-son experiences have served as a parenting blueprint for the Singaporean as he raises his son.

“My father never hit or verbally abused me. He knew how to communicate positively and that’s one thing I want to carry on between me and my son,” he said.

“That’s what I live on right now – communication. I notice a lot of families have problems because parents don’t communicate with kids. Things go unsolved because they don’t talk it out.”

Tajudeen’s efforts to be a source of encouragement have influenced the way Khan carries himself today as a father.

“My dad took on the responsibility of lifting everybody in the family up, even when things did not go well for him,” Khan said.

“So far, Leonel, he’s only [eleven] months old. He’s so happy every day, he’s always smiling and definitely, as parents, we want to be positive and happy for him no matter what.”

Khan strives to do for his son what his father had done for him.

“He’s the kind of dad that if he had ten dollars, he would give you ten dollars. He always wanted the best for me, and so there will always be this part of me that wants to give all my heart to [Leonel],” Khan said.

The challenge of parenthood is a welcome and brief respite from the competitive schedule that Khan is accustomed to as a professional athlete.

Despite being just 25 years old, the Singaporean is one of the more established lightweights in the division. Yet, Khan has managed to juggle the duties of being a father admirably with his professional responsibilities.

Khan uses his son as added motivation to succeed whenever he competes and hopes he can continue to raise Leonel from the positive lessons he picked up from his dad.

“Right now, it’s my time to focus on my family,” he said. “After whatever my dad has done for me, I need to take those lessons and do the best for my family. That’s what he taught me.”

Support Khan as he competes for his son this Friday, 28 February, at ONE: KING OF THE JUNGLE in the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The lead card starts on meWATCH at 5:30pm Singapore Standard Time (SGT).

To watch the main card, tune-in to meWATCH at 8:30pm SGT.

Also, Channel 5 will air the main card on a delay at 12:00am SGT on Saturday, 29 February.

Alternatively, download the ONE Super App to catch all the action live and for free.

Read More From ONE Championship:

How To Watch ONE: KING OF THE JUNGLE

Amir Khan Plans Return To Finishing Ways In Singapore

Kimihiro Eto Ready To Battle Former Sparring Partner Amir Khan