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AMIR KHAN insists he is being used as a cash cow by Marcos Maidana — who is demanding around £1million to fight him on December 11.
WBA light-welterweight champion Khan has been stunned at Maidana's attempts to get three times his usual purse for their proposed showdown.
Maidana, 27, can normally expect to pick up about £350,000 for bouts but has staggered Team Khan by demanding the massive payday.
Khan's business manager Asif Vali fumed: "Amir is just being used as a cash cow. Mention his name and the money goes through the roof.
"As promoters we have got to make the figures work and that means Maidana has to come down.
"I'm sick that every time Amir's name is mentioned everything is doubled, quadrupled or multiplied by six times.
"It's crazy. Where do they think the money is coming from? They seem to think Amir Khan has a bottomless pit to pay out stupid money.
"He doesn't have a bottomless pit and that is why these fights are not being made.
"Amir will fight anybody, he wants to get this fight on but how can you when the demands from an opponent are so high?
"Do they realise what has to be paid for? There's the undercard, hotels, flights around the world, marketing, the hire of venues.
"People in this country and every country around the world are all watching the pennies. There's a recession on and to ask fight fans to come up with an extra £30 £40 or £50 for a ticket is just not on, the fight won't sell.
"You have got to make the figures work and you can't do that if people keep pulling figures out of the sky, you have got to get real.
"Sometimes it can be better not to fight. We are all in this business together but people must be realistic. Maidana's demands are very high."
Golden Boy, who represent Khan in America, are pushing for the fight to take place in Detroit once the purse row has been settled.
But the Bolton stylist could still end up boxing on home soil in England, despite both Manchester's MEN Arena and London's O2 Arena being booked for concerts.
Vali added: "We have to see if it's feasible to do it in the UK. There are still a few venues we could stage the fight at in England."
WBA light-welterweight champion Khan has been stunned at Maidana's attempts to get three times his usual purse for their proposed showdown.
Maidana, 27, can normally expect to pick up about £350,000 for bouts but has staggered Team Khan by demanding the massive payday.
Khan's business manager Asif Vali fumed: "Amir is just being used as a cash cow. Mention his name and the money goes through the roof.
"As promoters we have got to make the figures work and that means Maidana has to come down.
"I'm sick that every time Amir's name is mentioned everything is doubled, quadrupled or multiplied by six times.
"It's crazy. Where do they think the money is coming from? They seem to think Amir Khan has a bottomless pit to pay out stupid money.
"He doesn't have a bottomless pit and that is why these fights are not being made.
"Amir will fight anybody, he wants to get this fight on but how can you when the demands from an opponent are so high?
"Do they realise what has to be paid for? There's the undercard, hotels, flights around the world, marketing, the hire of venues.
"People in this country and every country around the world are all watching the pennies. There's a recession on and to ask fight fans to come up with an extra £30 £40 or £50 for a ticket is just not on, the fight won't sell.
"You have got to make the figures work and you can't do that if people keep pulling figures out of the sky, you have got to get real.
"Sometimes it can be better not to fight. We are all in this business together but people must be realistic. Maidana's demands are very high."
Golden Boy, who represent Khan in America, are pushing for the fight to take place in Detroit once the purse row has been settled.
But the Bolton stylist could still end up boxing on home soil in England, despite both Manchester's MEN Arena and London's O2 Arena being booked for concerts.
Vali added: "We have to see if it's feasible to do it in the UK. There are still a few venues we could stage the fight at in England."
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