Floyd Mayweather Mocks Amir Khan, Insists Manny Pacquiao Fight Is Next
19 Dec, 2014
Amir Khan's chances of stepping into the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr. have been severely dented after Money revealed "no one knows" who the British boxer is.
Mayweather remains focused on confirming his career-defining bout with Manny Pacquaio. The American has dismissed Khan's chances of landing such a fight—even after the 28-year-old's impressive win over Devon Alexander—because he doesn't draw a major crowd in the U.S.
Mayweather spoke at the World Boxing Council convention in Las Vegas, as reported by ABS-CBN (h/t Matt Morlidge of the Daily Mail):
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The other night I think he did 4,000 (attendance), so, Amir Khan, his name holds no weight. No one knows who Amir Khan is, except for people who are involved in boxing. My focus is Manny Pacquiao. Let's make it happen.
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Pretty Boy originally called out Pacquiao during a Showtime interview (h/t Dan Rafael of ESPN), and despite a previous run of unsuccessful negotiations—down to "problems with random blood and urine testing," according to Mayweather, per ESPN—Pacquiao highlighted his intention to confirm a deal:
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Manny Pacquiao >>>
.@FloydMayweather, don't be a boxing humbug. Let's give the fans the fight they want. They have waited long enough.
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Khan noted his chance to face Mayweather "definitely should happen" after he comfortably dissected Alexander, per Morlidge. His unanimous points decision win confirmed a fourth consecutive victory since his 2012 loss to Danny Garcia, but he remains something of a smaller name on American territory.
It could be put to Mayweather that Khan's name would draw a bigger crowd than anything he's ever experienced, if he was to step outside his Vegas comfort zone and over to England. Approximately 80,000 fans attended Carl Froch's second victory over George Groves at Wembley Stadium earlier this year, a number Khan vs. Mayweather could easily eclipse if the unlikely happened.
Many will question whether Mayweather wishes to be put out of his comfort zone at this stage in his career. Pacquiao's power has depleted, and he hasn't landed a knockout in nine fights since 2009, per BoxRec. His work remains methodical, but it's questionable whether he can still send a top-level opponent sprawling.
Mayweather is tuned to fight technically and will certainly fancy his chances now the Filipino star appears to be lacking some of the core power which made him so revered. Although Pacquiao's all-round game remains more dangerous than Khan's, Money may also prefer to avoid an opponent whose focus finely matched the sharpness of his speed against Alexander.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn believes Mayweather would find a bout against Khan "tough" when styles are taken into account, as reported by David Anderson of the Daily Mirror. The unbeaten fighter remains capable of easily overcoming any opponent put in front of him, but in the latter stages of his career, unnecessary risks don't need to be taken.
That's all Khan is. Mayweather knows this and is likely to continue goading the Brit until the day he hangs up his gloves. Like the drawn-out process of confirming a bout with Pacquiao, this allows Mayweather to keep a potential fight on the back-burner if it's ever needed.
Right now, it's all about the biggest draw for the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Pacquiao represents the one snippet in Mayweather's career which could be used to question his stature if it remains unfinished. As much noise as Khan makes, he will never hold this importance.
Floyd Mayweather Breaks Silence on Pacquiao Fight - SHOWTIME Boxing