Khan now denies Mayweather agreed to fight him

By Boxing News - 10/08/2011 - Comments

Image: Khan now denies Mayweather agreed to fight himBy John F. McKenna (McJack): WBA/IBF light welterweight champion Amir Khan (26-1, 18 KO’s) is now having to backtrack on comments attributed to him earlier this week in which he said that WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26 KO’s) had agreed to fight him.

“King” Khan will be defending his championship belts on December 10 in Washington, DC against Lamont Peterson (29-1-1, 15 KO’s). At a press conference in DC yesterday to hype the Peterson fight Amir confirmed to reporters that Mayweather had not agreed to fight him as was previously reported.

Amir in fact denied making the comments in the first place and indicated to reporters at the press conference that a fight with Mayweather lies sometime in the future.

Khan’s upcoming fight with Peterson will be his last fight at light welterweight. Amir still 24 years old is still growing physically and finding it difficult to get down to the light welterweight limit. He has expressed the desire for several months now to move up to the welterweight division, have one or two fights at that weight and then challenge the undefeated Mayweather.

Khan has recently shown flashes of the very arrogance he accuses Mayweather of. In one instance he expressed the fear that Floyd will duck him as he has ducked his stable mate Manny Pacquiao. That arrogance will serve Khan in good stead if and when he ever faces Mayweather in the ring.

It is unlikely that Amir will ever be intimidated by Floyd as Victor Ortiz apparently was prior to his fight with Mayweather. It is hard to fathom Khan just standing there as Ortiz did when Mayweahter put his hands around his throat as if to choke him. It is thought by many that Victor’s mental breakdown began right there before the fight ever started. From that point on, Floyd owned Ortiz.

A certain amount of arrogance is almost a prerequisite to being a good fighter. Khan passes that test with flying colors. Khan acknowledges that for the time being he will need to focus entirely on his next opponent, Lamont Peterson. He recently stated that if he loses to Peterson, any chance of fighting Mayweather would be gone.

It is clear at this point that Amir Khan, if he defeats Lamont Peterson, will apply the full court press in an effort to get Mayweather into the ring with him. He wants to be the one to take away Floyd’s “O” and he believes to the core of his being that Mayweather is afraid to fight Manny Pacquiao.



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