Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao Will Never Fight, Claims Amir Khan
Amir Khan doesn't believe Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will ever step in the ring together, despite wanting to see the pair exchange blows.
The British boxer—whose mission has become to face either star—suggests there are too many egos to satisfy for the clash to ever proceed. Khan spoke to BT Sport's Boxing Tonight (h/t Richard Arrowsmith of the MailOnline):
"Honestly that fight will never happen, in my opinion. I spoke to Manny Pacquiao and, obviously, we speak to Mayweather and his team. I can't really see that fight happening, there is too much politics with that fight. There's different promotions teams and different management teams—I don't think they will let that fight happen.
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Khan admits he would love to witness the spectacle and reiterates that he will gladly take on either guy, per Arrowsmith:
"If it does happen, I'm a big boxing fan and I would love to see it. I want either one of those guys, if they are fighting each other then I can't argue because I would love to see that fight like everyone else. It's a fight I've always waited for but it's taken so long that I can't see it happening.
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Rumours suggested a Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown could have been announced during Sunday's Super Bowl, but this passed without confirmation, per Dan Rafael of ESPN.com. The pair reportedly exchanged numbers during the Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks game at the end of January, a coming together which was allegedly followed by a hotel meet, as reported by Arrowsmith.
Pacquiao had previously told the Manila Standard Today (h/t Martin Domin of the MailOnline) that an announcement was coming before the start of February. Fans are still waiting and are likely to begin feeling restless after Mayweather suggested talks are still not underway, via his Instagram post:
Reports on Monday also indicated there are problems between HBO and Showtime, per Kevin Iole of Yahoo:
"There are substantial issues to be resolved between Showtime, which has Mayweather under contract, and HBO, which has an exclusive deal with Pacquiao. An impasse in those talks is HBO's insistence on being able to show the replay of the pay-per-view, one source said.
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HBO responded, as tweeted by Rafael:
Khan has proved restless in recent times. His pursuit of Mayweather looks to have met a dead end—even after he beat Luis Collazo and meticulously dissected Devon Alexander—with Money suggesting Khan's name "holds no weight," per ESPN.
Despite previously training with Pacquiao under Freddie Roach's tutelage, Khan's inability to land a bout with Mayweather recently led him to challenging Pac-Man.
"Boxing is business, and this would be a big fight," said Khan, as reported by Andrew Binner of Sport360 (h/t Yahoo News). "I like Freddie and I like Manny, but it would be a huge fight that could possibly happen in Dubai. We need to have a big fight in the UAE, and this could be it."
It's likely Khan's latest comments aim to stir things up once more. We've already missed the opportunity to see the Mayweather-Pacquaio fight during their peak years, so right now, many will begin to question whether it's going to happen at all. Khan will continue to force himself into the immediate picture until an agreement is announced. Then, once a winner is crowned, he'll likely goad them for a shot to impress.
Whether or not this ever materialises is another story. Khan posted arguably his best career performance against Alexander last time out, but he needs to continue improving to challenge Mayweather or Pacquiao.
His speed is a difficult matchup for most, and he may fancy taking on Manny due to the Filipino losing his knockout power over the last few years. Khan would need to deliver the performance of his life to beat either man, though, if he's ever afforded the chance.
Like many, it's apparent he just wants to see a firm answer to the Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations. Such a deal is holding his career up, after all. All three fighters' reputations will deteriorate rapidly if they lose their next fight, so each camp needs to ensure things are correct. Khan will keep waiting, keep popping off quotes and, indeed, keep provoking the others in an attempt to get his way.
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