By Edward Chaykovsky
Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum was very surprised to read the published comments from British star Amir Khan (31-3, 19KOs), who claimed Manny Pacquiao was stalling to sign a contract for a showdown in the first quarter of 2016.
A few days ago, Khan said the Pacquiao fight was 75% likely to happen. But on Tuesday he was irritated, telling The National that Pacquiao and his team were now dragging their feet to sign a contract.
In the interview, Khan said he was walking away from the negotiation. He was clear in looking to avoid a repeat performance of his past mistakes, where he placed his career on hold for a potential fight with Floyd Mayweather that never materialized.
Khan told the paper: "I'm really disappointed in Manny and his team. They aren't playing ball. All that was left to do is to sign the contract. But they are stalling. I have pulled out of the negotiations. I am no longer fighting Manny Pacquiao."
"They know I am a tricky fight for him and they know I will beat him. Or else, why pull out of a fight when there is a lot of money on the table? I don't really know if Mayweather is fighting Pacquiao again. It is a possible reason for him to stall on signing the contract, but I don't really know."
Arum denies any stalling on his end of the negotiations. The veteran promoter is not exactly sure what Khan is talking about, because Arum says there is no contact for anyone to sign.
“Nobody can figure out why [Khan] is saying that. I’ve spoken to his attorney, Robert Davis, and we’re going back and forth on the numbers,” Arum said to the Los Angeles Times. “The kid [Khan] talks too much. It’s probably why he lost the Mayweather fight. If there’s no contract to sign, who’s stalling who?”
