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Trainer Freddie Roach has lifted the lid on the notorious sparring sessions between Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao in the Wildcard gym.
Both fighters have improved significantly since coming under Roach's wing, and the duo have made no secret of the intensity of their training bouts.
A clash between the pair would be one of the most lucrative fights possible at present, but Roach is eager to keep his two pupils apart, with Khan instead set to face Floyd Mayweather Jnr in the next year.
The fact Khan is being discussed in the same breath as Mayweather shows the improvement Roach has coaxed out of the Brit, having linked up with him following a humiliating first-round knockout defeat to Breidis Prescott in 2008.
"When they spar it's always good but, while Amir is more than able to hold his own, as it progresses Manny takes control," Roach. "Amir has developed so much since I started working with him. He's a great kid who is always listening and always wanting to learn. Manny is a great fighter but Amir is certainly going in the right direction - that's a fact."
Meanwhile, Khan is not ruling out a rematch against Prescott as he searches for a December opponent for his final battle at light-welterweight. "Prescott may be a fight in the future for me," he said. "A fighter always wants to avenge his defeats. He is another name on the list if he beats [Paul] McCloskey. I will be taking one step at a time - there is no need for me to rush into a fight with Mayweather.
"Erik Morales is a possibility as my next opponent and so is [WBO champion Tim] Bradley. Robert Guerrero is another name on my list. If he beats [Marcos] Maidana next month, as I expect him to, that will be a very good fight."
http://www.espn.co.uk/boxing/sport/s...ml?CMP=OTC-RSS
Both fighters have improved significantly since coming under Roach's wing, and the duo have made no secret of the intensity of their training bouts.
A clash between the pair would be one of the most lucrative fights possible at present, but Roach is eager to keep his two pupils apart, with Khan instead set to face Floyd Mayweather Jnr in the next year.
The fact Khan is being discussed in the same breath as Mayweather shows the improvement Roach has coaxed out of the Brit, having linked up with him following a humiliating first-round knockout defeat to Breidis Prescott in 2008.
"When they spar it's always good but, while Amir is more than able to hold his own, as it progresses Manny takes control," Roach. "Amir has developed so much since I started working with him. He's a great kid who is always listening and always wanting to learn. Manny is a great fighter but Amir is certainly going in the right direction - that's a fact."
Meanwhile, Khan is not ruling out a rematch against Prescott as he searches for a December opponent for his final battle at light-welterweight. "Prescott may be a fight in the future for me," he said. "A fighter always wants to avenge his defeats. He is another name on the list if he beats [Paul] McCloskey. I will be taking one step at a time - there is no need for me to rush into a fight with Mayweather.
"Erik Morales is a possibility as my next opponent and so is [WBO champion Tim] Bradley. Robert Guerrero is another name on my list. If he beats [Marcos] Maidana next month, as I expect him to, that will be a very good fight."
http://www.espn.co.uk/boxing/sport/s...ml?CMP=OTC-RSS