Amir Khan vs. Danny Garcia May Be Ordered for Floyd Mayweather's Vacant Belt
Floyd Mayweather’s retirement from boxing could pave the way for a rematch between Amir Khan and Danny Garcia for the vacant WBC welterweight title.
The undefeated American claims he’s to hang up the gloves following a lopsided victory against Andre Berto last weekend, taking his career record to 49-0. Naturally, it means Mayweather will have to vacate his titles, and as reported by Miguel Rivera of BoxingScene.com, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has some ideas on how to determine new champions:
"Sulaiman says his organization will pursue one of two options. The first would be a small tournament at 147 and 154. The winners of the respective tournaments will capture the vacant belts.
The other option that Sulaiman will consider, per the advise of the WBC's championship committee, is an order for the two highest ranked contenders, at 147 and 154, to fight each other.
At welterweight, the two highest ranked contenders are Amir Khan [1#] and Danny Garcia [#2]. Neither fighter has a date scheduled in the coming months.
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It’d certainly be an intriguing bout. Khan was a heavy favourite for victory when the two men previously met in 2012 and was dictating the early rounds of the fight with his patented speed and accuracy. But issues with the Brit’s chin emerged again, as one big shot from Garcia altered the direction of the bout, which he eventually won with a Round 4 stoppage.
Here’s a reminder of what was one of the lowest points in Khan’s professional career so far:
Since then, both men have made significant strides. Garcia is undefeated and was hugely impressive in his welterweight debut last time out, beating Paulie Malignaggi with a ninth-round stoppage. Khan has regrouped since the loss and has won his last five fights in succession.
Despite the refinements made by both fighters, Laceupboxing thinks that if the pair were to go toe-to-toe once again, the outcome could well end up the same as it did three years ago:
Garcia recently revealed he’d be keen on a rematch, too. “I think it would be one of the biggest fights in boxing right now,” he told Sky Sports (h/t Boxing News 24) when asked about fighting Khan. “But it’s all about timing; being at the right place at the right time.”
With Mayweather out of the picture, at least for a while yet, there is a tremendous opportunity for fighters such as Khan and Garcia to elevate themselves to the upper echelons of the sport. These weight classes are looking for a new face, and a sparkling performance from either of these men could quickly make him the main man.
For Khan, it’d be the kind of fight that proves he’s ready to make the step up again after recent wins over Devon Alexander, Luis Collazo and Chris Algieri. Indeed, as Boxing Memes notes here, the Bolton-born star does seem to have set his ambitions pretty high recently and may need to reassess his options:
Khan is still looking to piece together the reputation that was punched to bits by Garcia in 2012, so beating the man who gave him so much trouble three years ago would silence many doubters. Doing so up from light welterweight to welterweight, where Garcia’s power would be even more prominent, would be especially impressive.
But the fight still seems a long way off, and the prospect of a tournament format is something that’d appeal to fans around the world in the wake of Mayweather’s retirement. After all, with the pound-for-pound king gone, why not give as many worthy fighters as possible a chance at grasping the crown?
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