Amir Khan Dealt Manny Pacquiao Blow, Eddie Hearn Tells Brit to Fight Kell Brook

Eddie Hearn, the Matchroom Sport promoter, has revealed Amir Khan will not be fighting Manny Pacquiao in 2016, and that decision looks set to pave the way for a massive showdown between the Brit and his compatriot Kell Brook next summer.

As reported by Edward Chaykovsky of BoxingScene.com, Khan was in with a chance of facing the iconic Filipino in what is anticipated to be the latter's last-ever professional fight. But according to Hearn, the prospect of Khan-Pacquiao seems to be dead in the water at this juncture, per Sport 360 (h/t Chaykovsky):

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Amir’s not got the Pacquiao fight. I always felt Brook is the obvious choice, but Mayweather and Pacquiao were big fights for Khan and now they are not happening.

I have said to Amir that if we don’t get this sorted in the next couple of weeks we will miss the boat for a summer fight. Brook one million percent wants the fight, now I believe Khan wants the fight, so we will meet next week and I believe we will get the deal done.

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Khan has definitely been chasing some big names in the sport, making it impossible to question his ambition. Previously this year, he was snubbed by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in his final fight, with the undefeated American deciding to face Andre Berto instead. Now it seems Pacquiao will opt for another opponent, with ESPN’s Dan Rafael anticipating a third fight with Timothy Bradley.

Unfortunately for Khan, pursuing these big names has come at a cost, having fought on one occasion in 2015—a unanimous decision win over Chris Algieri.

Now 29 years old, it could be argued the Bolton-born puncher has wasted some of the peak fighting time of his career, especially given the quality in the welterweight division at the moment.

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Brook was quick to remind Khan of that with a barb towards the two-time former world champion on social media:

The Sheffield man is one of the quality competitors in the weight class and now seems as though he’s on a collision course to face Khan next summer.

Brook was scheduled to fight Diego Chaves in October, but the bout was called off due to injury. Now he has to make a mandatory defence of his IBF crown against Canadian Kevin Bizier, with the fight anticipated to take place in early 2016. Chaykovsky also claims Khan will “probably” have a tune-up bout in January or February before any battle with Brook.

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As reported by the MailOnline, per Bleacher Report UK, it seems as though the foundations are already being laid for what would be a remarkable occasion at Wembley Stadium:

Sadly for Khan, it did seem inevitable that this scenario would happen. Some good fights have been there for him over the past few months that could have enriched his chances of a shot at someone like Pacquiao. Instead, he’s been inactive and, at times, a little desperate.

Nevertheless, it doesn’t get much bigger than a title fight at Wembley stadium between two Englishmen, and Brook would pose a major test for Khan.

The appetite would certainly be there for this kind of bout, and given British boxing is currently riding the crest of a wave, a scrap of such significance under the iconic arch would prompt plenty around the globe to tune in.