Khan says he wanted Cotto and Broner, chose Algieri as last resort

By Boxing News - 05/27/2015 - Comments

khan774By Allan Fox: After attempting to get the likes of Adrien Broner and Miguel Cotto to fight him, Amir Khan (30-3, 19 KOs) says he signed for the fight against former WBO light welterweight champion Chris Algieri (20-1, 8 KOs) because he didn’t have time to wait longer to look for another guy to agree to the fight with him.

In other words, Algieri wasn’t the guy that Khan wanted. He was the one that he chose because he couldn’t get the fighters he wanted to agree to fight him. Khan will be facing Algieri, 31, this Friday night on May 29th on Spike TV on Premier Boxing Champions at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

It’s not a great fight, but it’s the best that Khan could get under the circumstances. Algieri is now well-known after his fight against Manny Pacquiao in 2014, and he got a lot publicity for that fight even though things didn’t work out well for him in losing as 12 round unanimous decision.

“There were a few names I wanted to fight,” said Khan to ESPN.co.uk. “Broner was another name, which I got no response back. Another one, Miguel Cotto, would have been a great fight for me. It’s really hard to get a fight that you want. So, I got kind of desperate as well and had to really pick someone.”

Khan says that he chose Algieri out of desperation due to the other names not getting back to him. It would have been pure luck for Khan to get fighters like Cotto or Broner to agree to fight with him because both guys can make good money fighting other guys. Broner doesn’t need to fight someone like Khan to make good money. He’s facing Shawn Porter next on June 20th, and that’s going to make Broner good money.

Cotto is on course for a fight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez later in the fall. He’s got a fight scheduled against Daniel Geale on June 6th. It’s a better fight for Cotto to get him ready for what he has to deal with against Canelo. Geale is a big guy and he get Cotto ready for the Canelo fight better than someone like Khan, who would be coming up from welterweight to face Cotto.

Khan wants to impress against Algieri to try and entice Floyd Mayweather Jr. enough to want to fight him. It’s a longshot for Khan. He needs to look really good against Algieri, but he also needs to show some vulnerability. Mayweather probably won’t fight Khan if he puts on a defensive masterclass in this fight. Khan has to look offensive-minded and be willing to take some shots in the process of winning. In his last couple of fights, Khan has been more cautious and focused on his defense than he ever has in the past, and he’s doesn’t look as exciting as he once was.

Mayweather needs someone that will make it interesting, and not put the MGM Grand crowd asleep. After his recent bout against Manny Pacquiao, which some boxing fans thought was a dull fight, it’s especially important that Mayweather selects someone that will make a fight of it against him like Marcos Maidana did in their two fights. That’s why it’s very important that Khan puts his chin on the line against Algieri and show that he’s not afraid to get nailed with punches.



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