Amir Khan to pursue Pacquiao bout if Mayweather turns him down

MANILA, Philippines – Former junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan revealed that he will lobby for a fight with with former gym mate Manny Pacquiao if Floyd Mayweather gives him a thumbs down once more.

Khan (30-3, 19 knockouts) made several attempts to lure boxing’s current pound-for-pound king into a bout since moving up to the welterweight division last year.

The 28-year-old British boxer found success in his first two outings as a 147-pound competitor as he dominated former titleholders Luis Collazo and Devon Alexander in a separate 2014 outings.

Khan insisted that his victory over Alexander is enough to earn a shot at Mayweather.

In line of his pursuance to seal a deal with the unbeaten American pugilist, Khan inked a management agreement with Al Haymon, who serves as an adviser for Mayweather.

However, Mayweather brushed off any discussion of squaring off with Khan and stressed that the latter’s name is not big enough to merit a bout against him and would not generate a strong draw for a pay-per-view event.

(RELATED: Pacquiao confident that Mayweather fight will be finalized this month)

Khan had a change of tone on Thursday, January 8 (PH Time) when he turned his attention to Pacquiao, whom he trained alongside for years at Freddie Roach’s Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles, California.

“Who wants to see Khan vs. Pacquiao? Because I know (Floyd) Mayweather is running,” he wrote on his official Twitter account.

Who wants to see khan vs Pacquiao because I know Mayweather’s running

— Amir Khan (@AmirKingKhan) January 7, 2015

Pacquiao and Khan trained together under the tutelage of Roach and were sparring partners, but the 5-foot-8 Briton left the 6-time BWAA “Trainer of the Year” recipient’s camp in 2012 to join Virgil Hunter.

(RELATED: Amir Khan visits Pakistan massacre school)

In an interview with Telegraph’s Gareth Davies, Khan explained why he is open to the idea of facing Pacquiao if Mayweather refuses to fight him this year.

“If Floyd Mayweather doesn’t want to fight me this year, Pacquiao and I could fight. We could get it on in the USA, in the UK, in Dubai, or even Macau, where he fights once a year. Perhaps, if the fight between me and Pacquiao takes place, we could do something for the better and show what boxing can do for the world,” he said.

Khan, who has set up his own charitable institution in his homeland, stressed that he and Pacquiao could donate a percentage of the purse to good causes if a marquee match-up can be arranged.

“Manny and I both do things for other people outside boxing, and if we fought, we could give a percentage of the purse to charities. I’m not a politician like him, but I want to do good works with my status,” he stated.

Despite spearheading a campaign to meet the sport’s only eight-division world champion inside the squared-circle, Khan maintained that there is nothing personal between him and Pacquiao.

“I think me and Pacquiao would be a huge fight. Despite having had the same trainer and having sparred each other before, we could put that friendship to one side. It’s a sport. We’re not going to war or anything,” Khan pointed out.

Meanwhile, the negotiations for the super-fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather took a major leap as both camps agreed to stage the highly-anticipated clash at the 16,800-capactiy MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Aside from the location, the two parties likewise approved the drug testing protocols to be followed for the bout as Pacquiao and Mayweather are likely to undergo Olympic-style random screening.

The remaining issues that have not yet been addressed are splitting what could be a $200-million purse and determining the exact date of the much-awaited faceoff.

Pacquiao was quoted in a recent report stating that he is confident that the heavily-hyped confrontation against Mayweather could be announced before the end of the month.

– Rappler.com