Does Amir Khan Have What It Takes to Be a Pay-Per-View Superstar?

Sometime in the near future, boxing is going to wake up and recognize that its pay-per-view existence is no longer held in the moneyed fists of guys named Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

When the day arrives, the initial shock will be jarring—particularly in the aftermath of a long-awaited showdown between the two that drew an astounding 4.4 million PPV buys at nearly $100 apiece.

But if things go according to Amir Khan’s master plan, it won’t mean the end of the world.

The well-connected Englishman squares off against ex-140-pound titleholder—and recent Pacquiao victim—Chris Algieri on Friday night in New York, knowing full well that a memorable win could elevate him to a place where subsequent efforts will be both better recognized and better rewarded.

“Obviously, if I look really good in this fight, it’ll put me exactly where I need to be,” Khan told Bleacher Report. “I want to face the best names in boxing, and to do that I’ve just got to get past this fight in good style and good fashion, get a win and then just see where we go from there.

“I’ve got good people around me. I’ve got Al Haymon, who’s advising me and putting me in the right spots and putting me in the right fights and wanting to get me the biggest fights in boxing.

“That’s what I want.”

In his estimation, it’s a role for which he’s long been preparing.

Now 28 years old, Khan was an Olympic silver medalist at age 17, began collecting paychecks a year later and had captured a championship belt—the WBA’s at 140 pounds—nearly five full months before turning 23.

He’s headlined shows in Birmingham, London and Manchester on the United Kingdom side of the Atlantic Ocean, starred in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas on the United States side and faced off against eight current or former world champions since the start of 2010 alone.

In other words, if spotlight aplomb is a prerequisite, the charismatic “King” is already regal.

“It’s been crazy for me since I turned professional,” he said.

“The pressure has come straight on me, and I was headlining from my first fight. The pressure is always there, but I’ve grown older and learned how to deal with it and not let it get to me and put me down. I use it as a motivation more than anything. I’ve never let pressure get to me or upset me.

“Some fighters let it get to them in a way where they fold, and there’s too much pressure. But I stay focused, and I stay very smart about it.”

Focused and smart, perhaps.

Yet, somehow, auditions for actual in-ring stardom haven’t always been so certain.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Though he won his first title after a 54-second erasure by slugger Breidis Prescott, Khan’s subsequent encounters with heavy-handed foes have also leaned toward the dramatic—frequently leaving fans holding their breaths to see whether he’d survive significant blows or succumb to them.

Similar to Lennox Lewis—another well-spoken and popular British champion whose offensive prowess was undeniably vast—Khan’s greatest flaw remains his most compelling angle.

No matter how good he looks, he’s never more than a punch from disaster.

He escaped a 12-round battle royal with roughneck Marcos Maidana in late 2010 but was dumped three times in the final six minutes of an early TKO loss to Danny Garcia in summer 2012. Ex-lightweight champ Julio Diaz dropped him once while losing a close bout in Khan’s welterweight debut in April 2013, and former 147-pound titlist Luis Collazo landed occasionally wobbling blows in a loss in spring of 2014, too.

Khan’s most complete performance at his new weight came in a near 12-round shutout of Devon Alexander five months ago in Las Vegas, but no less an expert than former two-division champ Antonio Tarver—who’ll take part in the Algieri fight’s broadcast on Spike TV—is still awaiting more evidence.

Tarver told Lem Satterfield of Premier Boxing Champions:

"

If Amir Khan’s the next big thing, then knock somebody’s ass out. Amir Khan is already a star in the U.K., but he has to put the world on notice that he’s the next threat to Floyd Mayweather. It's time for him to have an outstanding performance that the whole world will be talking about the next day. Khan needs to make another statement in America and show Chris Algieri that he’s not in the same league. A convincing win puts him on the cusp of superstardom for a Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao type of fight.

"

Indeed, it’s precisely that significance that a winning Khan presumes he’ll have earned.

He led a Mayweather-orchestrated fan poll before Money ultimately chose to fight Maidana in May 2014, then pulled himself out of consideration for a match four months later because his training schedule would have been adversely impacted by observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Mayweather opted for a Maidana rematch and called Khan’s name specifically in that night’s post-victory press conference, but a would-be fight between the two was scuttled when the long-awaited meeting between Mayweather and Pacquiao was finally put together for May 2.

But now that the “Fight of the Century” is history, Khan figures it’s his turn.

He said this year’s timing of Ramadan—which runs June 17 to July 17—would allow him to be available for Sept. 12, which is when Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza claimed Mayweather will reappear.

“Once I get past this one, there’s going to be a list of big names that I can go for,” Khan said.

“The rest of the year is going to look really good. I’m just going to put on a really good performance for the fans in New York and show how good Amir Khan is. Then we’ll take it from there. It’s nice to be known or to have people mentioning my name as one of the stars in boxing, especially when they know Pacquiao and Mayweather will not be here too long. I think I’m in a very good position.”

As long as that position remains vertical, the upside will remain considerable.

Unless otherwise noted, all questions were obtained firsthand.