By Chris LaBate
WBA/IBF junior welterweight champion Amir Khan has come back firing at Floyd Mayweather Jr., who recently questioned the British star's drawing power and ability to sell tickets in the United States. After two more fights, Khan would like to face Mayweather in a welterweight showdown. Mayweather must first overcome WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“[Khan] don’t really want that; not selling 2,500 tickets and having a bunch of giveaways. No, he don't want that," said Mayweather during an interview with fighthype.com.
Khan questioned the drawing power of Mayweather's next opponent, who fought on Khan's undercard last year. He also had a few words for his junior welterweight rival, WBO/WBC champion Timothy Bradley.
"I'm not a big enough draw to fight in 2012....and Victor Ortiz is right now? No disrespect to Victor Ortiz. He's a great fighter and a very good friend but he's fought on my undercard twice. I'll be ready to fight Floyd in two fights time. If he wants to fight this year I would, but Mayweather only talks down on fighters who are threats to him," Khan said.
"As a fighter if you want to be the best - you have to fight the best, and my time will come. I bumped into Floyd's manager Leonard [Ellerbe] after the Zab Judah fight and he said lets make this happen. I want to, and I will be the biggest draw to fight Floyd after Manny Pacquiao and they know that."
"On July 23rd we offered the fight to Bradley and he said no, [Juan Manuel] Marquez said no, [Erik] Morales also said no, [and I'm] glad Judah took the fight on. I want to clean up the 140-pound division but noone wants to fight me. Tim Bradley might as well retire undefeated, as a fight with him versus Floyd or Manny will never happen and doesn't make sense. He can't even sell a 100 tickets in his back garden and doesn't want to fight the best at 140.....p*ssy.
"I fought Kotelnik, Malignaggi, Maidana, McCloskey, Judah, who were all in the top 10 the rest don't want to fight apart from [Lamont] Peterson and [Robert] Guerrero. There is not much I can do apart from beating the person they put in front of me. Bradley is very inactive. He might as well FedEx his belt to me or get in the ring in December so I can slap the sh*t out of him. Come on Timothy. Baby lets do it for the fans."