Amir Khan, Manny Pacquiao Fight Reportedly Not Finalized

Amir Khan isn't getting Floyd Mayweather Jr., but he may fight the next-best thing in April 2016: Manny Pacquiao. 

Conflicting reports surround the fight, but Khan's father, Shah, said his son sent the necessary paperwork to Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, per Jeff Powell of the Daily Mail. Powell mentioned April 9, 2016, as the date of the fight, but Shah Khan said the day "may vary by a week or so but April is the month."

It looked like this fight wouldn't happen—technically, it still may not. Arum denies the fight is finalized, saying, "It’s total bull----. It’s not true. This is f-----g ridiculous", per Dan Rafael of ESPN. 

Arum told BoxingScene.com (h/t Sky Sports) in early October that Lucas Matthysse was the preferred opponent for Pacquiao. Later that month, Khan seemed to admit defeat in his pursuit of Pac-Man.

"I have pulled out of the negotiations. I am no longer fighting Manny Pacquiao," he said, per Omar Al Raisi of Dubai-based paper the National. "I am not going to wait around for Manny like I did for Mayweather. I need to fight and if they don’t want to fight then that’s fine, I have other targets."

Despite the bumps in the road, the fight may get done nonetheless.

Boxing Scene's Victor Salazar still remains skeptical it actually happens:

Amir Khan has long sought a matchup with Mayweather, but the unbeaten champion rebuffed Khan on every occasion, most recently opting for Andre Berto this past September and promptly retiring.

Pacquiao is a strong replacement, though, offering Khan his biggest test in the ring to date and ensuring what could be his biggest payday yet, if the fight ends up happening.

Khan vs. Pacquiao wouldn't create the kind of buzz Mayweather vs. Pacquiao did, but it's undoubtedly one of the biggest possible fights among boxing's active stars.