By Phil D. Jay
WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan is said to be furious at Sky’s decision to move his pay-per-view fight with challenger Paul McCloskey on April 16th to Sky Sports 3 and it is thought the move could shrink his purse from £1.25 million pounds to around £250,000.
Reports have already surfaced that Khan Promotions are demanding an explanation about Sky’s decision after efforts by Hatton Promotions to fill the fight card with the likes of Tyson Fury, Rendall Munroe and Gary Buckland have not persuaded head of Sky Sports Barney Francis from removing the PPV status of the fight.
Khan fans who cannot make it to the MEN Arena are said to be delighted at not having to pay the £14.95 booking fee for the fight, but fans who have paid up to £300 are feeling short-changed at the lack of title action on the bill.
So far, only Craig Watson and Martin Murray are involved in title fights on the undercard, with the British welterweight title and the WBA International middleweight titles up for grabs on the night. Tyson Fury is still expected to box on the card, but it is highly unlikely that any title will be on the line.
Amir Khan v Paul McCloskey is live on Sky Sports 3 on Saturday April 16th at 9pm.
Phil D. Jay covers the boxing scene for worldboxingnews.net