By Scott Gilfoid: In an amusing article at the News of the World, the 23-year-old World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KO’s) talks about his future goals and points out that he plans on getting out of the sport within the next five years after having fought both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Khan says “In the next four years, I will have all my big fights, so in five years time, I will be gone. When I hit my peak, I will be fighting men like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. They will be my last few fights. There are so many big fights in my division, but my body will tell me when to call it a day. You need to know it is the right time to call it a day, and believe me, I will get my retirement right. You need to know when to walk. As soon as you have gone past your peak and start getting hurt, be man enough and walk away.”
This is kind of hilarious and sad at the same time. I hate to be the one to break this to Khan, but I think someone has to. I don’t see Khan getting anywhere near Pacquiao and Mayweather in this lifetime, unless he sits by them at ringside. To get fights with Mayweather and Pacquiao, Khan, you would think, would at least have to beat the likes of Timothy Bradley, Devon Alexander, Marcos Maidana and Victor Ortiz.
I don’t see Khan ever beating those guys. Unless Mayweather and Pacquiao are willing to give Khan a fight off of a Khan victory over the feather fisted Paulie Malignaggi, then I don’t see Khan getting to the position where he ever fights Mayweather and Pacquiao. He would have to beat Bradley, Alexander, Maidana and Ortiz, don’t you think? Boxing being the sport it is, I can see Khan being put in with Pacquiao and Mayweather next.
I mean, I think it would be laughable in that Khan would be totally massacred by either Mayweather or Pacquiao, but, yeah, I could see it happening. It would be so funny if that happens, but I can see this happening. With Khan’s WBA title in his possession, he could probably get permission to fight Mayweather or Pacquiao – rather than taking on the dangerous Maidana and likely getting his head taken off – and then getting a huge payday opportunity after facing only one opponent [Malignaggi] in the United States.
But even if Khan doesn’t plan on fighting Mayweather or Pacquiao in the near future, I think it’s a total pipe dream for Khan to consider fighting them and retiring in five year. I can see Khan retiring in five years. I have no problems with that, but I cannot see Khan getting past Maidana, Alexander, Bradley and Ortiz to get to the point where he would be getting positioned to be put in with Mayweather and Bradley.
Right now, Khan has faced only a handful of decent fighters in his career. Most of his opposition, until recently, have been 2nd tier quality fighters. This would be totally bizarre to have Khan go from a fight against Malignaggi to the likes of Mayweather and Pacquiao. It would be a total slaughter, anyway you want to look at it. I’d like to see the fight just for the carnival aspect, but I think it wouldn’t be a good fight for boxing. People would likely complain afterwards when Khan gets destroyed by both of them, and wonder he was put in with them in the first place.
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