Amir Khan Says He'd Use Floyd Mayweather Blueprint to Beat Manny Pacquiao

Amir Khan's strategy to beat Manny Pacquiao in the pair's prospective fight in 2016 is to copy Floyd Mayweather's tactics when he beat the Filipino in May.

Bolton-born Khan was recently overlooked to be Mayweather's next opponent in place of the seemingly far less deserving Andre Berto, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael.

However, that is not going to prevent the Englishman from using the American's blueprint in a potential welterweight bout with eight-division champion Pacquiao, per Dubai 103.8 (h/t Sky Sports):

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To win a fight against someone like Pacquiao, the key is speed, movement and distance and that's how Mayweather beat him. Floyd beat him by being sneaky and he made it look so easy. If you stick to the same gameplan that Mayweather used, then it's an all-day win for me.

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Mayweather beat Pacquiao by unanimous decision in a largely underwhelming fight in Las Vegas, with the 36-year-old unable to land many telling blows as Money ducked and weaved out of his reach.

Pac-Man is currently recovering from surgery on a shoulder injury he claimed hampered him against Mayweather, but his promoter Bob Arum recently named Khan as a potential next opponent, per Gareth A. Davies of the Daily Telegraph.

Isaac Brekken/Associated Press

Talks between Arum and Khan's camp are set to take place this weekend with the mooted plan indicating a clash in the Middle East next year to give Pacquiao time to fully recover, per Davies.

In theory, a fight between Pacquiao and Khan is an exciting prospect as both are combative boxers with great speed and skill.

However, nobody wants to see a similar spectacle to Pacquiao's clash with Mayweather, which was pithily summed up by former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson at the time:

Khan is unlikely to be able to replicate the defensive masterclass Mayweather performed against Pacquiao and will surely have to engage more if and when the pair meet.

A fully fit Pacquiao should be more than a match for Khan despite the 28-year-old Briton's relative youth, and a potential clash between the pair would be hotly anticipated. 

Despite the undefeated Mayweather's proclamations that his next fight will be his last, there is always the possibility that he will go for 50-0 should he defeat Berto in his 49th fight.

Khan could thus still be in line to take on the pound-for-pound king, and a victory over Pacquiao would make him even harder to ignore.