Amir Khan Still Wants The Manny Pacquiao Fight – ‘It Would Be A Brilliant Fight’
Amir Khan is still hoping to secure a fight with Manny Pacquiao after constant links throughout his career.
Khan walked away from the sport following his loss to Kell Brook in a career where he was a two-time junior welterweight champion. The loss, however, was compounded by the fact that the Brit failed a drug test for Ostarine. As such, Khan was given a two-year backdated ban that will expire in April 2024. And once that is done, Khan was open to the idea of returning again in some capacity. Pacquiao and Khan were former stablemates during their time under Freddie Roach at Wild Card gym. And since they have had sparring sessions together, they understand what it takes to face off against each other. And with new links over the fight, Khan was keen on stepping into the ring against the eight-division champion.
Khan Vs. Pacquiao
“If I fight Manny Pacquiao I think it would be a brilliant fight. He’s someone I’ve always looked up to and trained with him so we know each other quite well. Time-wise it’s also good for us both. That’s one fight that would lift me up and I’d want to perform because he’s a legend. In the last fight with Brook it wasn’t the same. I knew I had made enough money, I could chill out – I didn’t even want to be there. People want to see me fight. People are entertained by watching me so I have to keep performing for them. I’ve then become a people’s fighter,” Khan said
In contrast, Pacquiao’s aims may not align with what Khan is wanting. The Filipino has made it clear that he is wanting to win an Olympic Gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. And as part of that process, the boxer has to underdog qualifying in order to put himself in a position. That would mean that a fight with Khan is not at the top of the list of priorities since amateur boxing is a different ball game than when it comes to fighting under professional or exhibition rules. However, the fact that Khan ended his career on a bad note with the Brook loss, it has fueled the fire to set that right. And since Khan does have a massive fanbase, the Brit was looking forward to fighting under a packed crowd once again. His following comments confirmed as much.
“It’s amazing honestly when you’re walking out and your name is being shouted out. You do get goosebumps. You are nervous as hell. Sometimes I think I should have picked another sport. Why am I doing this again? But you know you’re ready mentally… it’s just time to go to war and you switch on and your nerves are gone and you’re waiting for that bell to go,” Khan stated
With Khan’s ban almost over, it will be interesting to see where the boxer goes next. After all, the Manny fight has been long-talked about.
‘Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com’
