Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather 2015 Next Fight: Amir Khan Rejects Pacman
English boxer Amir Khan does not want to fight Manny Pacquiao as he turned down a possible fight earlier this year against the Filipino champ.
Top Rank CEO and Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum told Telegraph that Khan refused to engage in talks to fight Pacquiao after the latter defeated Timothy Bradley in April. The revelation came a week before the English fighter is set to fight Devon Alexander in a WBC silver welterweight bout in Las Vegas. In case he wins the fight, Khan is expected to look for bigger boxing opponents like Floyd Mayweather Jr.
"After Pacquiao's second fight with Timothy Bradley [in April], I tried to see if Khan was interested in fighting Manny and if it was legally possible. The first guy I asked was Nick Khan, who is the agent of Freddie Roach and a friend of mine. He came back and said they (Khan's advisers) gave him the runaround. We were told: 'No way'. They have contractual commitments to others, which would prevent that fight from happening.' So I dropped it," Arum added.
According to the Telegraph, Khan sees the fight with Pacquiao as a "tougher stylistic" matchup than Mayweather.
"My style probably suits more a Floyd Mayweather style because it will probably take me back to my amateur days. It would be more like a game of chess, you know, where you hit me and I don't get hit. It would be about getting the angles right. When you know you're fighting someone like Floyd Mayweather you're going to be on the edge," Khan was quoted by the Telegraph as saying.
According to a similar Sports World News report, Arum is disappointed with Khan's refusal to fight Pacquiao.
"It really rubs me the wrong way that Amir has been promised fighting the likes of Mayweather and Pacquiao and it hasn't happened yet. He is at the perfect moment of his career. And one thing is for sure: 2015 is going to be his year. He is a force to be reckoned with, a threat to everyone in the welterweight division. I've always said if you put him up to the test, if you put him up against a Floyd Mayweather, a Manny Pacquiao, don't be surprised if he wins," the Top Rank CEO explained.
But it seems that Khan is not yet concerned with sealing a fight with Pacquiao as he is still busy with his game plan for his fight against Alexander this weekend. He is determined to defeat his opponent to be able to prove himself and recover from his past losses.
"I'm not looking beyond this fight against Devon because it's a huge fight for me and I have to win this fight to be at the level to win this fight in good style really. And that's what I need to do. I can't make any mistakes," Khan told Sports World News.