AMIR KHAN READY TO FIGHT PACQUIAO IF HE CAN'T GET MAYWEATHER SHOWDOWN
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 31 Dec 2013
British fighter Amir Khan is willing to fight Manny Pacquiao if he can?t get a Floyd Mayweather Jr showdown planned for May 3 in Las Vegas.
Khan, in a story by Martin Domin in the London Daily Mail, voiced his frustration that while he had already signed a contract to face Mayweather Jr, the undefeated pound-for-pound king has not yet signed the contract.
The Athens 2004 Olympic Games silver medalist said ?I am the one who signed the contract, I've signed my part of the contract, they've not signed theirs. If he wants to fight Amir Khan then he should sign it.'
Khan, who had previously trained alongside Pacquiao at the Wild Card Gym of Freddie Roach and then in Baguio City in the Philippines, revealed he would be prepared to fight Manny Pacquiao now that they have different trainers.
Khan, the former IBF and WBA light welterweight champion made the statement at the opening of a boxing and MMA gym in Dubai where both he and Pacquiao are extremely popular with Pacquiao banking on a huge following among overseas Filipino workers in the United Arab Emirates and other middle-east countries.
Khan who left Roach and teamed up with Virgil Hunter last year, said he hopes he could bring the fight to Dubai where he has a loyal following.
The Daily Mail quoted Khan who said ?I'd fight Manny. Look, it's business. We are friends and respect each other, but I would definitely consider the fight, and I am sure he would too. To bring it to Dubai, too, that would be huge. I am ready for whatever. Have I ever turned down a fight? Never. I fight whoever is put in front of me.?
Meantime, respected boxing writer Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports has branded the fact that no progress has been made in putting Mayweather Jr and Pacquiao in the ring together as the ?biggest disappointment? of the year.
Iole wrote, ?For all the great things that promoters Richard Schaefer and Bob Arum have done, both in their careers and in 2013, they deserved to be excoriated for doing nothing to try to make the fight the fans want to see. They have made millions upon millions of dollars from this sport, but they won't settle their ridiculously petty differences and make the fight that the people who have made them rich so desperately want to see.?
Photo: Pacquiao (C), Khan (R) and Roach during the time the three were together at the Wildcard Gym.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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