Pacquiao vs Khan for April 23 per fighters' Twitter accounts
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 26 Feb 2017
The official Twitter accounts of World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao and rated welterweight star Amir Khan released statements Saturday that they have agreed to terms to fight each other on April 23.
"Negotiations between team Pacquiao and team Khan have come to terms for the April 23 bout as this is what the fans wanted. #PacquiaoKhan," Pacquiao announced.
This statement was supported by Khan when he posted this Tweet minutes after Pacquiao's announcement.
"My team an(d) I have agreed terms with Manny Pacquiao and his team for a super fight #pacquiaokhan #April23rd."
There were early but unofficial news last month that the fighting senator from the Philippines will face unknown Australian undefeated fighter and the WBO's number 2 rated contender in Jeff Horn of Brisbane in a bout to be held in Australia.
But the news was met with little or no enthusiasm from fans of boxing and majority of the boxing world, owing to Horn's obscurity as a fighter.
Horn, despite being undefeated at 16-0 (with one draw), has not fought outside of Australia and its neighboring New Zealand. His biggest win was against an old Ali Funeka, a former lightweight title contender. Horn's total number of fights of 17 is incomparable to Pacquiao's record of 67 fights (59-6-2).
Khan's name came up after Team Pacquiao announced on February 11th that the United Arab Emirates was the venue of his next fight.
The next day, Pacquiao ran a Twitter poll asking fans who they want as his next opponent.
Khan, a British fighter of Pakistani descent, was the runaway winner with 48%, followed by fellow welterweight champ Kell Brook at 24%, junior welterweight champion and fellow Top Rank stable mate Terrence Crawford is 3rd at 21% and Horn was last at a measly 7% of votes that totaled 44,815.
Khan of Bolton in Manchester, England, was a silver medalist in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens at Lightweight and was a former unified light welterweight champ (WBA and IBF). He climbed two divisions in his last fight against the bigger Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez for the WBC middleweight title in May of last year- a disastrous decision on his part - as he was put to sleep by Alvarez in the 6th round in what was Khan's only fight of 2016. He will enter the Pacquiao bout with boxing record is 31-4 with 19 KOs.
Pacquiao's choice of the more popular Khan is obviously aimed at generating bigger buzz and revenue as opposed to fighting Horn.
Today, both Pacquiao and Khan have made it official - the two will rumble in the Arabian Peninsula for the WBO welterweight crown.
You can reach the author at rrmaze24@aol.com and @Freemazon910 on Twitter.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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