Khan: I was too dangerous for Mayweather and Pacquiao

By Boxing News - 02/07/2016 - Comments

khan53By Scott Gilfoid: Despite his attempts at getting the big names to fight him, Amir Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) was soundly rejected by Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao for big payday fights that would give given the British fighter a chance to prove himself.

While it seems painfully obvious that Khan was rejected due to his spoiling tendencies inside the ring, Khan believes that he was turned down by Mayweather and Pacquiao because they saw him as too dangerous to fight.

I’m not sure that I buy that for a second, but Khan has finally gotten his big money fight in WBC middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) throwing him a bone by giving him a fight on May 7.

Khan no longer has to yap about a fight, because he’s got one. Khan may not like the outcome. It’s one thing to talk about wanting to get a fight, but once you get that fight, you’re going to look awful if you don’t have the talent to compete. I suspect that’s what the case is going to be for Khan.

”The reason why Mayweather and Pacquaio did not want any part of me was because I was too dangerous for them,” Khan said to RingTV.com. ”They felt that Amir was going to make them look bad. They are beatable and I have the tools to beat them at my weight. Canelo is going to be a much tougher fight for me.

If It helps Khan sleep better at night for him to believe that Mayweather and Pacquiao ducked him because they felt he was too dangerous and would make them look bad, then so be it. I disagree 100 percent with Khan’s thoughts.

I think it was more of a case of Mayweather and Pacquiao not wanting to be held and shoved all night long by Khan. I also don’t think they wanted to have to chase Khan around the ring, because he can run when he wants to. Canelo will find that out himself when he shares the ring with Khan on May 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“The fight and the weight against Mayweather would have been fair and a fight I would have won,” Khan said. “Now I have a real challenge in front me against Canelo. It’s only making me train harder than ever. I’m finally getting my break I need to prove how good I am by beating Canelo Alvarez. Mayweather or Pacquaio wouldn’t give me that opportunity. This is my goal to be at the top.”

Well, Canelo is going to have a lot of egg on his face if he loses to Khan in this fight, because everyone sees him as such a heavy favorite. I mean, if Canelo can’t beat Khan with a 10 to 25-pound weight advantage, then that will really make Canelo look bad. I imagine that Erislandy Lara, Demetrius Andrade and Jermall Charlo would all be chomping at the bit to get in the ring to face Canelo if he loses to Khan. They would definitely smell blood in the water and would want to finish off Canelo as a top fighter.

Canelo still be a top fighter, but I think he would be heading towards a Gabriel Rosado type of career at that point.

“People will understand as to why Mayweather and Pacquiao did not want this fight. They will see that Amir Khan is one of the best,” Khan said. “This is my time to shock the world.”

I guess Khan is right. If he whips Canelo black and blue in front of the entire world, boxing fans will likely make the connection about Mayweather and Pacquiao having avoided a fight against Khan because they thought he was too dangerous. That’s what a lot of fans would believe, but I wouldn’t agree with that though. I would still see it as Mayweather and Pacquiao choosing not to fight Khan because they didn’t want to fight a guy that spoils all the time.

Khan could turn himself into a PPV attraction if he defeats Canelo, believe it or not. They would be a real huge thing because I never thought I would see Khan as a PPV guy in the U.S. But if he beats Canelo, then he would be in a position to fight Canelo a second time and then face guys like Gennady Golovkin. I could even see Mayweather coming out of retirement to face Khan. Pacquiao might even stick around to fight Khan.



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