Amir Khan Accuses Floyd Mayweather of Using Manny Pacquiao for Mind Games
It seems that after conquering Devon Alexander with a swagger in Las Vegas, Amir Khan only has eyes for the biggest fighters on the planet at this stage of his flourishing professional career.
The Brit has made it abundantly clear that he wants a showdown with pound-for-pound king Floyd “Money” Mayweather, but after the American called out Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao recently, the focus has naturally shifted toward a potential showdown between two of the most iconic fighters of the current generation.
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But Khan has accused Money of speaking hollow words and has insisted that now he’s a free agent, as reported by Gareth Davies of The Telegraph, he can take his career in whichever direction he feels. The 28-year-old also claims in Davies’ piece that he has already been in discussion with Pacquiao’s camp about a potential bout:
"I didn’t know he had said that about fighting Pacquiao until [a television executive] told me an hour before the fight. I was more focused on Alexander.
I think Floyd just likes to mention names. We’ll see. I’ll just leave it to my team. I’ve had calls from Michael Koncz, who is Manny Pacquiao’s business manager and he asked me if I would be interested in the Pacquiao fight.
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It’s an opinion shared by ESPN’s Skip Bayless, who feels the American has absolutely no intention of getting in the ring with the Filipino:
Khan went on to say he would prefer to fight Mayweather, and thinks it will happen, citing Money's calling out of Pacquiao as "mind games" in Davies' piece.
Oscar de la Hoya—Khan's promoter during his stint with Golden Boy—thinks the Brit is now at the level of the aforementioned fighters, and he can understand why Money may well duck any potential fight with him:
Khan seems insatiable in his desire to get in the ring with Mayweather, but with a superfight between the American and Manny looking increasingly likely to be on the cards next spring, that would only leave one fight remaining on the American’s contract with Showtime. Unfortunately for the Brit, that’s scheduled for September, when he will be fasting for the Muslim festival of Ramadan.
There seem to be other opportunities on the cards for Khan, though. Compatriot Kell Brook has been touted as a potential opponent for the Bolton-born fighter, but Khan has reacted angrily to Eddie Hearn’s booking of Wembley in June, something he feels is an attempt by the Matchroom promoter to fast-track a “Battle of Britain” bout, per David Anderson of The Mirror:
"They have not spoken to me about it and you can't go and book places like that.
It's like me saying to Floyd Mayweather, 'Floyd, I've booked Wembley for you and you have to fight me next'. That's not how to conduct business.
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But as Khan stated, the interest in that fight would be limited to British boxing fans; as of yet Brook has yet to establish himself as a global household name.
Having gone to Las Vegas and beaten a quality opponent there, you suspect that Khan will have eyes for fights that command more gravitas and there’s little denying he deserves a shot at a mega pay-day.
Unfortunately for Khan, such is the demand for the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, he’s not going to get a look in if those two do eventually decide the time is right to square off. But there’s little doubt the British fighter is beginning to establish himself as one of the stars of this weight division and subsequently he'll be on the radars of both.
He may not have the power to pose problems for either Floyd or Manny, but his blistering speed and unrelenting energy means that it would potentially make for a thrilling bout; one that would make a whole lot of commercial sense. With that in mind, if the superfight doesn’t end up happening, expect both of the aforementioned icons to push for a showdown with Khan while his stock is high.
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