Amir Khan Predicts Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, Eyes Miguel Cotto and Kell Brook
Amir Khan believes Floyd Mayweather Jr. will beat Manny Pacquiao when the two come face to face in Las Vegas on May 2.
The British boxer, who sought a bout with either before they agreed to put their reputations on the line, suggests Mayweather's brains and elusiveness will allow him to "take the fight," as reported by Sky Sports:
"He will be much smarter and he’ll pick his shots a little bit better. He’ll make it a little boring at times because Manny, as we know, is a come-forward fighter who likes to do a lot of punches.
But Mayweather will try to avoid all those punches and just maybe throw that one shot that will count and then move away again. But time will tell.
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Khan admits Mayweather could come up with "something that we have not seen before," perhaps altering his game plan by putting extra pressure on Pacquiao. Even so, Khan believes there's only one route to success for Pacquiao, his former training partner, per Sky Sports:
"If Manny wants to really give Mayweather a run for his money, it’s all about putting that pressure on him, having that in-and-out movement and hopefully looking for that one big shot.
Everyone knows that Manny can punch and Mayweather can he take that big shot? We have never seen Mayweather hit with a good shot so with Manny’s speed he needs to get in there, get Mayweather a little bit riled, get rough with him in there, push him around a little bit and throw them big powerful shots.
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Pacquiao's ability to deliver a huge shot has waned over the years. Khan believes the fight would have been "better" in 2010, but there's no doubt an aggressive Pacquiao still has the tools to cause a shock.
Mayweather is a master of dissection, someone who will meticulously pick opponents apart, so upsetting this process by fighting unpredictably is perhaps the most profitable method.
Unlike Khan, Bleacher Report's Stephen Nelson and Bob Canobbio of CompuBox recently suggested the upcoming fight could be more entertaining than the one that would have taken place years ago:
Khan suggests he may never receive the opportunity to fight one of the two best pound-for-pound brawlers on the planet, admitting a close contest could yield a rematch. "That could be the last fight for either of them," he said, per Sky Sports.
Instead he is eyeing a May bout with Miguel Cotto, which could be finalised soon, as reported by Sky Sports:
"I think with my speed, movement and the way I have been fighting under Virgil Hunter, I think it will be a great fight for me. I know he is a lot heavier than me but doing that fight at catch-weight will be amazing.
But at the moment we have just left everything with the managers and hopefully they can get everything sorted out and within the next week or so we can get something announced for hopefully towards the end of May.
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Tommy Allan of Boxing Asylum believes the winner of this potential bout could receive a major prize:
"I'm all over Khan v Cotto. Lets be honest, Cotto may have the belt but he's no Middleweight. It sets up the winner nicely to face Floyd/Pac
— Tommy Allan (@TomBoxingAsylum) March 5, 2015"
Khan notes an encounter against fellow Englishman Kell Brook "can happen in the future," be it toward the end of the year or in 2016. Such talk underlines the fact that he appears to have given up hope of facing Mayweather or Pacquiao.
While Khan's jaw remains questionable, his speed and accuracy will worry most people. It's interesting to hear his assessment of how Pacquiao could defeat Mayweather, as he'd be more than capable of applying such pressure on the American fighter. Cotto and Brook represent huge challenges for Khan, however.
It's reasonable to suggest if he gets through both, a shot at Mayweather or Pacquiao could follow. By the time that happens, though, this pair may be long gone from the sport.
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