Manny Pacquiao is running out of worthy opponent from the Top Rank stable, which means that the former pound-for-pound king might face a fighter from rival Golden Boy Promotions.
Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions are reportedly willing to set aside their previous dispute, which could lead to a showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan or Marcos Maidana.
In a recent interview, Khan expressed strong interest in facing Pacquiao, saying that the fight could make big money by using an interesting storyline - former sparring partners going up against each other.
Khan, who has been aching to face a big-name fighter over the past several months, said that fans would love to see a fight between him and the Filipino boxing icon.
"What a great storyline that would make? We used to train together, we were sparring partners, we used to have the same trainer. We were both world champions at the same time. There is a lot of history there. That's a great fight," Khan said via BoxingScene.
Khan, who is coming off a dominating win against Luis Collazo last month, is confident that he has what it takes to push Pacquiao to the limits.
The 27-year-old Briton said that based on their previous sparring sessions, Pacquiao has troubles dealing with quick fighters, while also adding that he could also make his size advantage a big factor.
"Manny has problems with quick boxers. I've sparred with him myself. I know he has problems with a good boxer who has a very good jab and a moves great. I'm very big for the weight, I'm a lot taller than Manny Pacquiao. Manny Pacquiao is a southpaw and I can deal with southpaws real well, that's a 50-50 fight," Khan added.
Maidana, on the other hand, is also an intriguing prospect for Pacquiao, especially if the Argentine fails to land a rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr, who defeated the Buenos Aires native in their fight last month.
Sebastian Contursi, Maidana's agent, said that no fighter will say no to a fight against Pacquiao, but he quickly added that he will have to consult Al Haymon about it because the Mayweather rematch is still their priority.
"I was surprised lately because I heard Manny Pacquiao's name in the mix with the situation between Golden Boy and Top Rank, but that's something I need to discuss with Al Haymon," Contursi said.
