Khan eyes up Mayweather
WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan has said that he is eyeing up a bout against undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The Olympic silver medallist has set his sights high as he aims to bow out of boxing with retirement before he reaches 30. Khan has never been short of ambition or confidence and he has set himself a difficult task in trying to dethrone “Money May”.
Khan has had a well thought-out and well managed start to his career bar a blip against Breidis Prescott, he has now reached the stage where he is challenging the best, starting with his December 11th encounter with Marcos Maidana.
Throughout his career Khans biggest criticism have been chin related and the heavy fisted Maidana will be the true test of the Bolton natives jaw strength, if he can take the shots then there could be no stopping him.
It’s possible that Khan could take up the mantle from stable-mate Manny Pacquiao as the most exciting fighter in boxing. “Pacman” was of course due to fight Mayweather in a battle of the best but it didn’t come to be.
It makes sense for Khan to step in if Pacquiao doesn’t fight him. They spar and train together at the Wildcard Gym under Freddie Roach’s tutelage and both have exciting fast-fisted styles with many viewing Khan as Pacquiao’s successor in a “mini-me” type of way.
It might be somewhat optimistic for Khan to be setting his sights so high but he feels that soon he will be ready saying, “In the next 12 months, (Mayweather) will be an ideal fight for me. It's definitely one I'd fancy.
"Manny thinks it will be a good fight because he's trained with me, sparred with me, he really thinks I'm good enough to fight Mayweather now.
"But I think in the next 12 months, when I get even better and with more experience, I think I'll be in better condition to fight him then.
"This is a timing game and I want to fight him when I think I'm ready, not when he's ready and I'm not. I want to fight him when we're both ready and when I've hit my peak."
However, Khan has some way to go yet, if he comes through Maidana he needs to look at the winner of Timothy Bradley Jr v Devon Alexander and then perhaps he can look towards Mayweather.
There is scope for the bout. Mayweather has talked in the past about how much he would like to fight in England and Khan has been helping Pacquiao prepare for his fight against Antonio Margarito by sparring with him and according to reports he has held his own.
However it’s one thing to say you want to fight Mayweather and another to have the fight rubber stamped. Pacquiao can vouch for that.
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