This might not be the fight the fans expected but Khan has called for Pacquiao’s head after the Brit dispatched Australia’s Billy Dib in a fourth-round stoppage in Saudi Arabia. Khan controlled the fight throughout, flooring Dib in the second-round and finally forcing ‘Billy the Kid’ to taste the canvass and retire in the fourth.
Manny Pacquiao out-duelled the unbeaten champion Keith Thurman over 12-rounds that saw a thrilling split-decision go in the Pacman’s favour last Saturday. The Filipino knocked down the undefeated American in the first round, to set the tone, but the bout ended going the distance crowning the 40-year-old a WBA Super Champion.
The pair have been plying their trades on different parts of the globe, but both have raised eyebrows around this supposable showdown. The Pacman is showing age is just a number and King Khan is trading blows to improve his stock in the hope of getting an invitation to dine at the top-end boxing table.
What has Amir Khan Won?
Olympic silver medallist Khan has built and maintained his boxing career, using his lightning-fast hands to stop opponents on both sides of the pond. King Khan has 34-wins under his belt, with 21 being knock-outs, but the Bolton-born fighter has also suffered 5 defeats in the process.
Khan boasts unrivalled dexterity, letting his fists fly at opponents while being surprisingly nimble and agile. Khan took home silver in the 2004 Olympics, becoming Britain’s youngest fighter ever to win an Olympic medal.
Khan’s rise to contention came when he disposed of Andriy Kotelnik in Manchester, winning the 12-round unanimous decision, bagging himself the World Championship. The Bolton-born boxer successfully defended his title five times over the next two years, starting with a first-round TKO of Dmitriy Salita.
Is Manny Pacquiao considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the Welterweight Division?
The people’s pound-for-pound king has a sparkling resume, considered by some better than Floyd Mayweather Jr, regardless of the blot Mayweather left on his fight card after beating him in the supposed ‘Fight of the Century’. Pacquiao’s kamikaze mindset, mind-blowing hand speed and life-threatening combinations will have boxing recruits digging out the Filipino’s fight tapes a hundred years from now in an effort to educate the boxing nation.
Manny claimed silverware on Saturday night, beating Thurman in a thrilling 12-round battle, showing the boxing nation he still has plenty of gas left in his tank, so who might the WBA Super Champion fancy next? The southpaw is far from putting down the gloves and now has a belt to defend, and challengers are already lining up.
The Filipino’s record speaks for itself, winning 62 of his face-offs and falling to 7 defeats, the 40-year-old champion has stood the test of time and defied all odds by beating the house.
Pacquiao has slain some worthy boxing opponents in his time, but dispatching De La Hoya in 2008 was one of his career highs, making the Mexican look a shell of his former self on the night. The Filipino has dominated the sport, earning a world champion status in eight weight divisions and has surely cemented his place within the halls of the boxing greats.
Can this fight happen?
This fight is mouth-watering if it comes to fruition, and if Khan gets another notch on his belt, Manny’s camp might consider letting the Brit have his shot, but for now, Pacquiao holds all the cards after his sensational victory over Thurman.
Pacquiao has denied claims that the fight has any substance to it and will be waiting in anticipation to see if the Bolton-born boxer fancies a shot. Pacquiao claimed after his victory on Saturday that he will not get back into the ring until next year, and has no obligation to entertain Khan’s false claims of a supposable clash in Saudi Arabia.
The veteran boxer still has one fight left on his three-match deal with Premier Boxing Champions and it is reported he has his eyes on the victor of Errol Spence Jr and Shawn Porter’s skirmish in September.
The issue that might crop up is that of location, Khan is reeling out the rhetoric of Saudi Arabia and Manny’s team seem to be sitting atop the WBA Super Champion ladder. Manny can dictate almost every detail of this fight, if it were to surface, so Khan might have to cancel his plane ticket and get on the stand-by list.
Boxing has blessed us in the last year with some blockbuster bouts, including Fury vs Wilder, Joshua vs Ruiz Jr and Whyte vs Rivas. Khan believes that this clash can be a monumental meeting with the victor writing his name in the history books. So, strap yourself in, wait for the rumour mill to start churning and hope the odd story might have some authenticity to it.
Who would be the proposed victor?
Khan’s age is his ace in the pack and if this fight came to our doorsteps a betting man would want to put their money on the Brit. Journeyman Pacquiao has gone toe-to-toe with father-time and won, so on the other hand, punters might back the Filipino warrior.
Both fighters have a devastating arsenal and weapons in their locker they can utilise to overwhelm opponents when in a tight spot, but whoever claims this potential fight will have their pick of the litter next and strike the others name off the weight divisions books.
