PACQUIAO MEETS AMIR KHAN IN LONDON GYM, DISCUSSES POSSIBLE FIGHT
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 25 Jan 2015
Eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao ended his London visit where he had a private dinner with Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace on Thursday night followed by a meeting with World Boxing Council welterweight Silver champion Amir Khan on Friday before flying to Miami, Florida where he attended the rehearsals for the Miss Universe Beauty pageant which will be telecast Monday morning in Philippines by the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN Channel 2.
In an exclusive story on the Daily Mail Online, Jeff Powell reported that the two popular fighters ?came across each other again in a tumbledown corner of south east London and began informal man-to-man discussions about an alternative superbout in case Floyd Mayweather fails to call either of them for his next megafight.?
Powell noted that Pacquiao and Khan are friends and at one time trained together under Freddie Roach both at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles and in the Philippine summer capital of Baguio City and also sparred occasionally before Khan moved over to train with Virgil Hunter.
The two fighters met up at the century-old Fitzroy Lodge Boxing Club in Lambeth.
Powell said Pacquiao and Khan stood in the old ring which has produced some of Britain?s finest prizefighters but declined the suggestion of swapping a few punches.
Pacquiao?s longtime adviser Michael Koncz who accompanied Manny said the talks went ?great.? Pacquiao was greeted enthusiastically by dozens of cheering young London boxers and their trainers as he came through a creaking old door. Many of the fans asked for his autograph.
Amir Khan arrived in his gold Rolls Royce a little later after a visit to the famed Wembley Stadium which has been mentioned as a possible venue should Khan decided to fight Kell Brook in what has been described as the ?Battle of Britain.?
The British champion was also received a warm welcome and told Pacquiao, ?Good. Now we can talk.?
Powell said that Khan is aware that ?Mayweather versus Pacquiao is the $300 million spectacular which most of the world wants to see and that global audiences would have been excited to hear Pacquiao telling me: ?I think now that Floyd and me is going to happen. It looks like it.?
Koncz had earlier told the Manila Standard/Viva Sports that Khan was a ?front-runner? in case the Mayweather fight doesn't happen. He also that a showdown between Pacquiao and Khan would be ?a very exciting fight? even as he added that and Manny would be more than happy to do it at Wembley stadium.
Koncz was quoted as saying ?We are looking at that possibility and also Abu Dhabi as another potential venue. ?But of course we are still working on Mayweather? while Khan himself said Wembley would be a great stage for me and Manny and Abu Dhabi is very much in the running.?
Khan told Powell ?It was great seeing Manny again. We talked a bit about old times and also about the future. Although we have this friendship, if fighting each other makes sense then it can certainly happen.?
Pacquiao said: ?The dinner with Prince Harry was very enjoyable and I am really pleased to come to a boxing place like this' even as he confirmed that a showdown with Khan could take place.
Pacquiao earlier told Sky Sports News ?Yes, there's a big possibility, nothing personal. It's not difficult for us because we respect each other and we're just doing our job in the ring.?
Pacquiao maintained he has done everything in his power to make the bout against Mayweather happen and it is now in the American's hands. He said ?We're waiting for the answer from them, the signed contract from them, probably next week we will know if the fight will push through or not.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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