Photos by Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing
Out of all the disappointment that was caused by Floyd Mayweather’s (49-0, 26 KOs) announcement of who his next and perhaps his last opponent would be on September 12, Amir “King” Khan’s (31-3, 19 KOs) couldn’t be beat.
After having kept his next opponent on anonymity, Mayweather finally let the world know who he would be going up against, his chosen opponent for what he calls his last fight was Andre Berto (30-4, 23 KOs).
Khan has been actively pursuing a fight with the pound-for-pound king for quite some time now. Sadly, Khan wasn’t given the opportunity and it almost seems that Mayweather got a kick out of playing with Khan’s hopes and emotions. This time it hit close to home, as Khan and Berto train together and have the same trainer, Virgil Hunter.
So after this last disappointment, many are asking what’s next for Khan?
His last fight was against Chris Algieri who he beat by decision at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Khan showed speed and movement throughout the fight, and although he allowed Algieri to get back in the fight at times, when Khan was assertive he gained control of the fight once again. Even though Algieri had clear opportunities of landing big shots he still lacked the power to make them effective.
After his win over Algieri, Khan didn’t necessarily climb the ladder since he still seemed to have left many questions unanswered and fans asking for more. Perhaps something more reasonable for the British Olympic medalist would be a fight against fellow British fighter Kell Brook who is the current welterweight IBF world champion. The fans and Brook himself have been asking for this showdown for the longest time, which would be a fairly good test for Khan.
This fight would be huge in the UK and could be hosted at Wembley Stadium if it ever came to terms. It’s a guaranteed sellout that’s for sure, the British fans are very passionate about their boxing and this would be a dream match for them and for the entire boxing world as well.
The amount of money this fight would generate would be quite large and you’d almost forget about the big payday Khan could have earned by fighting Mayweather since this fight would be paying him top dollar as well.
Khan continues to argue that Brook hasn’t earned a shot at a fight with him, despite Brook having won the IBF welterweight title in an upset against Shawn Porter. This in some way resembles the past situation between Mayweather and Khan himself. Brook won by majority decision and outsmarted Porter who failed to land a majority of his shots and has since made several defenses of his title.
Khan has turned down multiple lucrative offers to face Brook in the UK, so it’s safe to say he won’t be meeting him in the ring anytime soon. There have been multiple reports of Khan possibly facing Manny Pacquiao, who was once a sparring partner when they both trained under Freddie Roach.
In his last fight, Pacquiao faced Mayweather in the highly controversial “Fight of the Century” that Mayweather won by unanimous decision back in May. If this fight were to take place, Khan would certainly give Pacquiao problems. He has speed and accuracy which could turn out challenging for the Filipino fighter. Khan has said that he thinks the fight against Pacquiao can happen and that he’d love to take that fight (per Mirror).
Despite having those qualities, Khan lacks power and out of the two, Pacquiao takes the lead with his powerful punches. Pacquiao is sitting out the rest of this year due to a shoulder injury but is slated to be back in early 2016 and a fight against Khan would be a great way to start off the year for boxing.
Since all efforts of trying to land a fight with Mayweather were fruitless, at least Khan can attempt to get a shot at his former opponent which isn’t so bad after all. This matchup is a big opportunity for Khan to put himself in the big leagues once again. Even if he were to lose against Pacquiao, a solid performance could still do wonders for the British fighter.
Perhaps it’s time for Khan to let go of any hopes and dreams he may have had of facing Mayweather since he is now officially retired. Perhaps not getting a shot at him was a blessing in disguise and now he has an opportunity to focus on other realistic fights.
