Photo by Tom Casino/Showtime
With retirement closing in on Floyd “Money” Mayweather, the race is on for a crack at the pound-for-pound champion.
Amir Khan made a convincing bid for a title shot this weekend after defeating Luis Collazo by a 12-round unanimous decision.
All eyes were on Khan to see how would perform after a long layoff and to gauge how he handled the move up to Welterweight.
Khan impressed to say the least.
Hats off to Amir Khan. I thought he'd struggle vs Collazo last night, but he won convincingly. Credit where it's due
— Ian Smith (@IJSmith86) May 4, 2014
Now the dust has settled, I believe it's clear to see @AmirKingKhan is P4P in top 3. Mayweather v Khan is a must! Speed v Speed!
— David Haye (@mrdavidhaye) May 5, 2014
But while a Khan vs. Mayweather fight had already been discussed, “The Moment” may have stolen the show as the fight world is now itching for a rematch of Saturday’s main event—and Marcos Maidana earned it.
The door is rapidly closing on Money Mayweather’s career and in every indication, so is the opportunity for Khan to get his dream fight, a crack at the champion.
In a more likely scenario, Khan could see himself in a rematch against Danny Garcia as a move to 147 pounds is imminent for the Jr. Welterweight champion.
Garcia has made it clear he has every inclination on fighting Mayweather before the money man’s anticipated exit as well, so a fight against Khan may help his case.
While Maidana will surely get a rematch with Mayweather, Khan and Garcia could soon be fighting for the glamorously coveted shot at boxing’s elite.
Although Garcia knocked out Khan in the fourth round of their first fight, he should be encouraged of his chances in a rematch as he was having his way with the Philadelphia native until getting caught.
With Virgil Hunter now in the Englishman’s corner, Khan is now poised to avoid brawls and simply outbox whoever is in front of him.
More intriguing for Khan would be a rematch with Maidana, four years after their first encounter which ended in a Khan victory.
After Maidana’s performance on Saturday, many believe he solidified an immediate rematch against Mayweather, but a fight with Khan for the grand prize of a bout with Mayweather could add validity to both men’s bid as well as build hype.
If Khan wants a shot at the No. 1 fighter in the world, he could first be in an unfavorable brawl against an unfamiliar, new and improved “Chino” Maidana.
The problem could be the solution.
In this case the problem being Adrian Broner and the solution for Khan would be fighting Broner and try to use his star power to propel him into a Mayweather fight.
Although Broner has recently dropped down to 140 pounds, a fight with Khan could intrigue the always confident Broner, as it is clear he has every inclination to try and step into the spotlight and fill the void Mayweather leaves.
