By Antonio Bufalino: In a recent interview with ESNEWS, Floyd Mayweather was asked about Amir Khan’s dominating performance of Devon Alexander. He responded, “The other night I think he did 4,000. So, Amir Khan, his name holds no weight. No one knows who Amir Khan is, but those involved in boxing. My focus is Manny Pacquiao. Let’s make it happen.”
In a way, Mayweather has a valid point. Though Amir Khan has impressive boxing abilities, he has yet to challenge and win against an opponent who can increase his popularity in not just boxing fans but casual fans.
Mayweather has only two fights left on his Showtime contract. It’s been said that he supposedly owes Showtime $16 million from the last two Maidana fights, which both showed decline in Mayweather’s PPV numbers. It’s unknown if this is true or not.
Mayweather might also be competing with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto on the Cinco De Mayo weekend date, May 2nd. With this said, Mayweather will most likely be looking for someone who can be enough of a sell to make Showtime happy, as well as make Canelo/Cotto the lesser draw. Of course, Manny Pacquiao would be the one to provide him this, not Amir Khan, so it makes sense for Mayweather to be focusing on making the Pacquiao fight happen instead.
This is probably a devastating blow for Khan, who has been extremely vocal about wanting the Mayweather fight for months. Oscar De La Hoya had been promoting the fight as if the winner will immediately get Pacquiao or Mayweather. But, as the two fighters seem to be materializing a fight with one another instead, Khan may be left watching on the sidelines. For him, he should focus on finding a worthy opponent to increase his popularity outside of his home country, United Kingdom.
Kell Brook has called out Khan, telling him his win over Alexander doesn’t allow him to skip ahead of the “Mayweather fight” line. With Brook being undefeated, he could be a great opportunity for Amir. Timothy Bradley, Keith Thurman, and even a rematch with Danny Garcia, are also opponents that Khan could look to for his next fight. For when it comes to Floyd Mayweather, it seems Mayweather wants him to step into the ring with some cougars before he faces the lion.
You can see Floyd Mayweather’s interview with ESNEWS here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL2COMzxuY8
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