By Ryan Maquiñana
When Floyd Mayweather tabbed Marcos Maidana over Amir Khan as his May 3 opponent, speculation arose that the Argentine secured the fight because he had signed with Mayweather’s adviser, Al Haymon.
Now that Khan subsequently reached a deal with Haymon after the fact, does the move lift the last barrier outside the ring preventing the British star from securing a pay-per-view clash with Mayweather?
“I think it helps, but the thing is with Al Haymon that we hooked up with him is because we don’t have an adviser in America,” Khan told BoxingScene.com.
Khan, who still calls Bolton, England, his home, outlined his reasons for his new alliance with Haymon, who is notorious for choosing to remain incognito in public but is renowned as one of the true power brokers in the sport.
“I think now getting towards the bigger fights, you need someone here who’s on top of your opponents that you want to fight, and who can keep up with the TV networks as well for you, and who can advise me and manage my whole career in America,” Khan said.
Khan, who fights Luis Collazo (another Haymon client) on Saturday with the winner undoubtedly entering the thick of the Mayweather sweepstakes, feels comfortable with the newest member of his team.
“We live in England, and it’s so far away. I mean, it takes so much time flying back and forth, so I’ve decided to get someone in America. I’ve looked in the past where so many fighters are with Al Haymon, and I’ve never seen any of them say anything bad about him, so he must be doing something right.
“As long as the managers are looking after the fighters, that’s what you want. So I need someone to look after me so I can focus and take my mind off the outside (aspects) of boxing, and I can focus on boxing.”
Follow Ryan Maquinana on Twitter @RMaq28.
