Amir Khan Expects Floyd Mayweather Comeback, Hopeful of Manny Pacquiao Fight
British boxer Amir Khan is not buying Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s claims to have retired, but he seems to have shifted his focus away from the undefeated American and is now eyeing up a bout with Manny Pacquiao.
Khan was speaking with talkSPORT (h/t Edward Chaykovsky of BoxingScene.com) about a variety of topics, and needless to say, talk quickly turned to Mayweather, who defeated Andre Berto in what was billed as his final fight on Saturday, taking his career record to 49-0 alongside the late, great Rocky Marciano. The Brit feels Floyd will eventually be tempted to surpass that mark.
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“Why match his [Marciano’s] record and not beat it?” said Khan. “Why not do something that no other fighter has done? He will wake up one day and think why am I only matching that record.”
It’d be an underwhelming end to a remarkable career for Floyd. BBC Sport’s Ben Dirs certainly doesn’t expect Mayweather to hang up the gloves after such a one-sided showdown with Berto:
Khan also took a little shot at the substandard calibre of Mayweather’s final opponent, claiming “he had the hard fights early in his career, so perhaps that’s why he’s choosing the easier ones now.”
The Brit, who made no secret of his desire to get in the ring with the American, was shunned by Floyd in favour of Berto. Khan also wasn’t buying Mayweather’s assessment of himself as the best fighter of all time and, in a separate interview with Robert Cassidy of Newsday, claimed that even if Floyd does return, he won’t fight him:
"If he does [come back], I still don't think he'll fight me, I think he doesn't want to be beaten. It would be a massive fight. I have a huge fan base in England. But I think he just wants the undefeated record, that's the reason he won't fight me. He's cheating the fight fans.
He can't call himself 'TBE' ['The Best Ever'] because he's not fighting guys at their peak. Look at [Muhammad] Ali, he fought tough guys when he had to fight tough guys.
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Khan has also been speaking about his future plans, and with the Brit giving up in the pursuit of a bout with Mayweather, he seems to have turned his attention to Pacquiao.
The Filipino icon has been out of action since his showdown with Mayweather earlier this year, in which he was well beaten. Pacquiao has been recovering from a shoulder injury but is on the mend, per Viva.co.id (h/t Sky Sports), and the prospect of the two former stablemates squaring off would certainly make for an intriguing contest.
Khan told Cassidy that he thinks the fight could happen too: “A Pacquiao fight is something I would love to have. I think it can happen. That would be a huge fight. With his fanbase and my fanbase, that's a huge international fight. Obviously we both want to fight, right now it's up to the promoters.”
However, FightNights.com thinks the Brit should fight a big puncher such as Ruslan Provodnikov to prove he no longer has a delicate chin:
Khan even discussed life outside the boxing ring and hinted to Cassidy that he would like to try mixed martial arts: “One day, I may put the MMA gloves on and compete. … One thing I've never done is kick. I would have to learn how to grapple. But if you put me against an elite MMA fighter, I think I can take him out.”
Moving on from Mayweather is probably the best thing Khan could have done at this stage of his career. Although it’s looking unlikely he will fight again this year, 2016 could potentially yield a fight with Pacquiao, while talk also continues to rumble on over a potential British superfight between him and compatriot Kell Brook.
The 28-year-old is fast approaching the prime of his boxing career, and the chance to go up against someone as iconic as Manny would represent a remarkable chance to make his name on the world stage. The opportunities seem to be there for the man from Bolton; if he’s to scale the heights his undeniable talent warrants, it’s imperative he grasps them in the months to come.
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