By Dan Ambrose: Freddie Roach, the trainer for WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, says that someone from Pacquiao’s camp told him not to let IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan spar with Pacquiao recently. Roach didn’t say who that person is, but you have to guess it’s someone really high up on the totem pole for Roach to give in on this request. This tells you one thing.

Khan is now being considered by Pacquiao’s management as a future opponent for Pacquiao.

Here’s what Roach said in an youtube interview: “Manny’s running out of opponents. Manny vs. Amir would sell. Somebody asked me not to let them spar for that reason.”

There it is. Pacquiao is running out of opponents for him to fight, and it looks like Pacquiao and Khan may have to set aside their friendship to make this fight happen. Khan had previously said he would never fight his buddy Pacquiao, but recently he had a change of mind, saying if he has to do it to get a big fight he would be open to it.

With Pacquiao unable to acquire a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. because of one reason or another, Khan may be the best bet for Pacquiao to get a huge payday. Other than Khan and Mayweather, there really isn’t anyone else out there for Pacquiao to get a big payday against anymore. He’s already exhausted all the top fighters at welterweight with the exception of Mayweather, who Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum hasn’t been able to sign for a fight.

Obviously Pacquiao’s management doesn’t want to let Khan pick up anything more from sparring with Pacquiao so that he could use this to beat Pacquiao in a fight in 2012. Khan already has given Pacquiao a lot of problems in their sparring session and seems to have already learned Pacquiao’s tendencies and weaknesses. It could be too late for Pacquiao’s camp, because there’s already been too many sparring sessions between them. Khan now knows Pacquiao backwards and forwards and probably has a pretty good idea how to beat him.

Roach was smiling from ear to ear when questioned about a possibility for a Khan-Pacquiao fight. Roach trains both fighters and would obviously be in Pacquiao’s corner for the fight. Roach seems to like the idea of the two fighting judging by how animated he was when asked about the possibility of Khan and Pacquiao fighting.

Pacquiao is currently getting ready for his third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12th in Las Vegas, Nevada. For his part, Khan faces his number #1 IBF challenger Lamont Peterson on December 10th in Washinton, DC.