Tweet
Floyd will try and duck me just like Pacquiao - Khan
Floyd will try and duck
me just like Pacquiao -
Khan
ESPN staff
Amir Khan is concerned Floyd Mayweather Jnr will try and duck him like he has so far ducked Manny Pacquiao, should the two ever come close to stepping into the ring
together. A welterweight title fight between
Khan and Mayweather has been
tentatively suggested as a possibility in
about 12 months' time, with Khan set
to make one more defence of his WBA
and IBF light-welterweight belts before moving up a weight class. The Bolton-born fighter has made it
known he hopes to fight Mayweather
ever since seeing off Zab Judah in his
most recent unification title fight in
July. However, he is worried the
experienced American - who has so far sounded receptive to the idea - will
change his mind when a bout
between the two becomes a more
realistic prospect. Khan fears that, when the time comes,
Mayweather will start employing the
same tricks he has so far used to avoid
fighting his Filipino nemesis. Khan
believes Mayweather is running from
Pacquiao because he isn't sure he can beat him. "I think Floyd Mayweather will avoid
me like he's avoiding Manny Pacquiao
and other fighters out there," Khan
told the On the Ropes radio show. "I
mean, he never takes on dangerous
fighters like myself, by taking on a Maidana and Bradley. He likes to go in
and take the easy route and fight the
easy names that he knows he can
beat." Mayweather's return to the ring will
take place in September against Victor
Ortiz, but Khan isn't impressed with the
choice of opponent. "At the end of the day you have to
remember Victor Ortiz fought on my
under cards twice," he said. "[Marcos]
Maidana is the guy who beat him, and
then he goes Victor Ortiz is the biggest
challenge out there for him, which in my eyes there are bigger names out
there who I know can take
Mayweather and give him a tougher
fight than Victor." Khan already knows a thing or two
about trying to arrange bouts with
reluctant fighters, as he continues in
his quest to get the other pedigree
light-welterweight on the scene,
Timothy Bradley, into the ring. However, the American remains
elusive, and Khan expects to start
negotiations with the winner of the
forthcoming fight between Lucas
Matthysse and Eric Morales after he
returns from a two-week trip to Saudi Arabia. "The whole truth behind it is Timothy
Bradley is scared and he knows he'll
get beat and he'll get destroyed if he
ever fought me!" Khan said. "If he
goes on to get beaten by me then it
will take away a fight between him and Mayweather or him and Pacquiao.
That's the reason I really think he
wants to cash in and he wants to
avoid the big names who are coming
up like myself and fight the big names
because he knows maybe if he gets beat by Mayweather then he'll fight
me. "He thinks that fight still might be
there, but I'll tell you one thing - if he
gets beat by someone like
Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao
before fighting me I'll never take that
fight with him, because I want to fight him now while he's at his best and
while he's at his prime and
undefeated. "I want to prove that I'm the guy to
take his zero and I want to beat him. If
he doesn't want to fight me now then
that fight will never happen." The winner of another forthcoming
light-welterweight scrap between Paul
McCloskey and Breidis Prescott - who
have both faced Khan before - has
been identified as another potential
opponent for the 24-year-old, but he is focusing on Morales-Matthysse first. "You've got two names there who are
good fighters," he said. "Also the WBC
title is on the line. So there is another
title to pick up, so there is something
to get from the fight. Also, if Erik
Morales wins I think that will be a good fight for me because he's a big
name, he sells more tickets than
Maidana, and like I said there's a title
on the line. "Even if it's Matthysse, it's someone I
have not boxed and someone I have
not beaten and I think I'll take that
fight. The best option I'm more
looking at is the Morales fight against
Matthysse."
me just like Pacquiao -
Khan
ESPN staff
Amir Khan is concerned Floyd Mayweather Jnr will try and duck him like he has so far ducked Manny Pacquiao, should the two ever come close to stepping into the ring
together. A welterweight title fight between
Khan and Mayweather has been
tentatively suggested as a possibility in
about 12 months' time, with Khan set
to make one more defence of his WBA
and IBF light-welterweight belts before moving up a weight class. The Bolton-born fighter has made it
known he hopes to fight Mayweather
ever since seeing off Zab Judah in his
most recent unification title fight in
July. However, he is worried the
experienced American - who has so far sounded receptive to the idea - will
change his mind when a bout
between the two becomes a more
realistic prospect. Khan fears that, when the time comes,
Mayweather will start employing the
same tricks he has so far used to avoid
fighting his Filipino nemesis. Khan
believes Mayweather is running from
Pacquiao because he isn't sure he can beat him. "I think Floyd Mayweather will avoid
me like he's avoiding Manny Pacquiao
and other fighters out there," Khan
told the On the Ropes radio show. "I
mean, he never takes on dangerous
fighters like myself, by taking on a Maidana and Bradley. He likes to go in
and take the easy route and fight the
easy names that he knows he can
beat." Mayweather's return to the ring will
take place in September against Victor
Ortiz, but Khan isn't impressed with the
choice of opponent. "At the end of the day you have to
remember Victor Ortiz fought on my
under cards twice," he said. "[Marcos]
Maidana is the guy who beat him, and
then he goes Victor Ortiz is the biggest
challenge out there for him, which in my eyes there are bigger names out
there who I know can take
Mayweather and give him a tougher
fight than Victor." Khan already knows a thing or two
about trying to arrange bouts with
reluctant fighters, as he continues in
his quest to get the other pedigree
light-welterweight on the scene,
Timothy Bradley, into the ring. However, the American remains
elusive, and Khan expects to start
negotiations with the winner of the
forthcoming fight between Lucas
Matthysse and Eric Morales after he
returns from a two-week trip to Saudi Arabia. "The whole truth behind it is Timothy
Bradley is scared and he knows he'll
get beat and he'll get destroyed if he
ever fought me!" Khan said. "If he
goes on to get beaten by me then it
will take away a fight between him and Mayweather or him and Pacquiao.
That's the reason I really think he
wants to cash in and he wants to
avoid the big names who are coming
up like myself and fight the big names
because he knows maybe if he gets beat by Mayweather then he'll fight
me. "He thinks that fight still might be
there, but I'll tell you one thing - if he
gets beat by someone like
Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao
before fighting me I'll never take that
fight with him, because I want to fight him now while he's at his best and
while he's at his prime and
undefeated. "I want to prove that I'm the guy to
take his zero and I want to beat him. If
he doesn't want to fight me now then
that fight will never happen." The winner of another forthcoming
light-welterweight scrap between Paul
McCloskey and Breidis Prescott - who
have both faced Khan before - has
been identified as another potential
opponent for the 24-year-old, but he is focusing on Morales-Matthysse first. "You've got two names there who are
good fighters," he said. "Also the WBC
title is on the line. So there is another
title to pick up, so there is something
to get from the fight. Also, if Erik
Morales wins I think that will be a good fight for me because he's a big
name, he sells more tickets than
Maidana, and like I said there's a title
on the line. "Even if it's Matthysse, it's someone I
have not boxed and someone I have
not beaten and I think I'll take that
fight. The best option I'm more
looking at is the Morales fight against
Matthysse."
Comment