Floyd Mayweather's Next Fight Must Come Against Amir Khan

Floyd Mayweather needs to move on from Manny Pacquiao, preferably to an encounter with Amir Khan.

Heck, the sport of boxing needs it, too.

The superfight everyone wanted to see disappointed, as most figured it would. There's no way any person or duo can live up to the hype of a fight billed as one of the most anticipated in history, nor one costing fans in the range of $100 to just watch on television. Most knew going in that the fight occurred about five years too late.

Mayweather dominated Pacquiao as he does anyone else, suffering a few notable big hits early as he adapted to his opponent's ways. Like always, he dominated from Round 5 on, shoulder rolling and dancing his way out of trouble, never putting himself at risk with lengthy combos, just using a distancing jab.

Pacquiao didn't look like he wanted any part of the encounter. The final stats show it, too, per Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix:

After the loss, Pacquiao's camp revealed a shoulder injury, a subject of much scrutiny to the point he's facing a lawsuit, per the Associated Press.

Again, it's time for Mayweather to distance himself from Pacquiao. 

The allure for another payday must be strong for Mayweather and his camp, but this needs to come down to legacy. Beating Pacquiao once is enough and anyone who suggests a healthy Pac-Man wouldn't have lost is flat out wrong—Mayweather's too fast and his style is the perfect counter to Pacquiao's. Now he has 12 rounds of experience to put toward a rematch—ask Marcos Maidana how that situation worked out.

If Mayweather cares about legacy, it's best to move on because his reputation for cherry-picking beatable opponents will continue to stick. True or not, folks will look back on the Pacquiao bout and think Money waited until Pacquiao was out of his prime and ripe for another loss before accepting the superfight.

Mayweather can put these accusations to bed with a bout against Khan, perhaps one of the lone deserving challengers.

The two seemed to flirt with the idea last year, but the England native's schedule didn't pan out. He says Mayweather's camp approached him about a fight after the victory against Pacquiao, though.

"I think Mayweather's team want the fight—but I've spoken to Manny's team and they've said the same thing, that they want a fight,” Khan said, according to the BBC Sport.

Khan is also quick to point out his confidence in a potential bout with Mayweather. 

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"I really believe I have Mayweather's number and I'm ready for whatever he wants. I can't do September because of Ramadan. It just depends on my schedule this year but if we can do this year or early next year I will definitely jump to it." 

There's plenty of credibility with Khan, who rests at 30-3, with 19 of his victories coming by way of knockout. He's the winner of four straight, the first by technical knockout, the most recent trio by unanimous decision.

This might come as a shock, but Floyd Mayweather Sr. doesn't think Khan would stand a chance against his son, per Dave Kidd in the Mirror:

"

I’ll tell you what I think my son should do in September – given he’s fought all the hard-hitters – my son needs to get his contract and end it with an easy fight, he don’t need no tough fights. Amir Khan? Yes, that’d be a good fight for him. My son would beat him, I know. Of course it would be easier than Pacquiao. Khan has a pretty decent jab but all the technical things, he can’t do [them].

"

September doesn't sound like it will work for Khan, but it seems both camps are already laying the early foundation for a solid fight.

For Mayweather, it's worth waiting a little while longer and perhaps delaying retirement if it means getting in the squared circle with Khan. He could fight someone such as Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia or Timothy Bradley, but Khan offers the most from a legacy-building standpoint and is the biggest question mark sure to linger if he does hang up the gloves.

Right now, Khan is the best option. Mayweather can't go back to Pacquiao, and fans probably shouldn't want him to after widespread discontent. Khan is younger, willing to mix it up, offers knockout power and the biggest challenge of all to Mayweather.