Floyd Mayweather's Next Fight Must Be Against Amir Khan, Not Manny Pacquiao

Forget a Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao matchup.

Despite public posturing from Mayweather that flirts with the fight to get the general public all riled up at the idea, it is simply never going to come to fruition.

Instead, Mayweather should grow his legend on the way to 50-0 by leaving the confines of his home that is the MGM Grand Las Vegas and heading to London for an encounter with Amir Khan.

Let's face it—any and all talk right now is on the potential Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown. It's the stuff of legend, even if it occurring in May of 2015 would be roughly six years and change too late. Two watered-down fighters past their prime would make for quite the disappointing affair, to say the least.

But this is where we are with Money. After routing Marcos Maidana in a cash-grab of a rematch to top an overall miserable card, Mayweather told the media he would like to set up a date with Pacquiao, should the stars align:

Right.

Those who pay attention were not fooled. This ludicrous statement comes on the heels of Mayweather telling the world he'd do the fight on his terms. Like it or not, Bob Arum put it best recently in an interview with Gareth A. Davies of the Telegraph:

"

I don't care what he says. He says he'll fight Pacquiao if he signs a promotional agreement with Mayweather Promotions. That's basically saying you're not going to fight him. He knows that Pacquiao is under promotional agreement with Top Rank, so he knows that's impossible. He's just looking for every excuse not to do the fight.

"

SI.com's Chris Mannix puts it in layman's terms:

It's a classic tactic from Mayweather, who books wildly favorable fights to run up his record while billing the opposition as some unstoppable threat (see: Canelo Alvarez).

As Arum notes, Mayweather is not about to go all in on a bout with Pacquiao, who very much provides a serious challenge due to his uncanny style.

"I promoted the guy for 10 years and I know how difficult it was to get him in the ring with any southpaw. When you talk about a southpaw who can move like Manny, that's not the kind of opponent that Mayweather feels he would do well against," he said.

That's not to say Mayweather is afraid or anything of the sort, but for a 37-year-old star who makes each decision in a cold, calculated manner, Pacquiao is an unnecessary risk.

Jan Kruger/Getty Images

Now Khan? That's money.

Mayweather's last handful of fights have done nowhere near what most figured they would in terms of buys. He brings the American audience to the table, so what better way to get those buyrates back to an acceptable level than to take on Khan overseas on his home turf?

Plus, while not an overwhelmingly household name in the United States, Khan can be booked as a monster threat just as Alvarez was.

Hey, the general public does not need to know that the British superstar has lost two of his last five fights.

No, he's the guy riding a three-fight winning streak on home turf, the toughest test of Mayweather's career. Khan is already playing the part, too:

It's perfect from a Mayweather standpoint. That is not to suggest Khan is not a worthwhile opponent—he has gone the distance in two consecutive unanimous decisions as of late—but he's a lesser risk and a respectable draw. Everybody wins.

Except those who want to see him step in the ring with Pacquiao, but as he would surely tell fans, get over it. Mayweather does not care about public opinion. Mayweather cares about Mayweather, love it or hate it.

Hence the billing up of an opponent such as Maidana, only to take a business-like approach to the fight and visibly stop trying in the final rounds after already being assured the decision. Who cares about entertainment of the fans when the hard-earned cash has already been invested in the pay-per-view?

The point is, Khan is everything Mayweather wants for his next fight. They were supposed to fight a few days ago instead of a mediocre rematch against Maidana, but Khan pulled out of consideration to observe Ramadan.

Days before the Maidana bout, Mayweather reiterated his desire to fight at Wembley Stadium in London, which is much more significant than anything he's ever said about a Pacquiao bout:

"

Never say never. It’s hard to say where my next fight will be and I have always included the UK as a possibility for a fight in the future. ...

I love and appreciate all of my fans in the UK. I have gone on record saying they are some of the best boxing fans, as they know and appreciate the sport. They turn out in record numbers to the fights they have over there and have [traveled] to Las Vegas on numerous occasions to attend my fights and others, too. They are great vocal fans and I appreciate hearing them in the stands.

"

Fans don't get a raw deal in the process, but it is certainly not the fight they want.

Look at it this way: Mayweather has two more fights on his current contract with Showtime. 49-0. Let's not pretend he will hang up the gloves so close to No. 50. Perhaps May of 2016 will see the coveted Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown, with No. 50 and both men's legacies poetically hanging in the balance.

Right now, Khan makes the most sense.