According to veteran promoter Bob Arum of boxing promotion giant Top Rank Promotions, British superstar Amir Khan avoided a potential match-up against Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao.
In an exclusive interview with Telegraph Sport, Arum noted that both men were scheduled to face each other after Pacquiao's rematch with former WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley in April. However, nothing ever materialized, which Arum attributed to contract issues on Khan's part.
"We were told: 'No way'. They have contractual commitments to others, which would prevent that fight from happening.' So I dropped it," the 83-year old promoter explained.
Coincidentally, Pacquiao and Khan share a familiar bond. The British fighter was actually one of "Pacman's" previous sparring partners when he was still training under the tutelage of Freddie Roach at his West Hollywood Wild Card Gym. To Khan's credit, Roach threw enough praises towards his way, as the famed trainer described the said sparring matches as occurrences wherein "sparks used to fly."
"King Khan" will be facing Devon Alexander this coming weekend, with the WBC silver welterweight title on the line. It is a fight that Khan claims as a must-win fight for him to be within the level of the sport's icons, namely Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.
"This fight can lead us both to a huge fight in the future between me and Mayweather or Pacquiao, so, it's all about just being focused and sticking to the game plan," Khan says.
A few days ago, Golden Boy Promotions head honcho and future boxing Hall-of-Famer Oscar De La Hoya declared his intent to have Khan face either Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather in the future. Rightfully, an up-and-coming superstar like Khan was willing to oblige and face either man.
However, the 28-year old fighter also believes that when the two boxing superstars are compared, Manny Pacquiao can likely give him a tougher fight. Of course, his opinion is mainly based on his experiences sparring with the eight-division world champion.
"I might find Manny Pacquiao a much tougher fight than a Floyd Mayweather fight because of the styles," Khan said.
Another issue that Bob Arum sees is the time difference. Should Pacquiao and Khan agree to face each other, the UK is seen to be one of the possible venues. This, however, may not play out well for "Pacman", who is only used to fighting either in the US, or within the Asian region such as Macau, China.
"There's no way, other than in a wet dream, where you can imagine a situation where Manny Pacquiao fights in the UK because of the difference in time."
Arum, however, says that if the fight were held in the United States, it would be more realistic.
"That's always a possibility. Khan is a very good fighter and he has a fairly good following in the UK. He is someone that surely should be considered," Arum added. "However, he is under the influence of an advisor who would do everything in his power not to let that happen."
