Retirement is a funny thing, because when one is retired they never get a day off.
Whether it’s the money, thrill, pride, or the all mighty crowd effect, like most of the famous fighters, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will not be able to feed off of the limited attention from the world during his leave. He retired before, and he will retire again.
I can see how this is a bizarre way to start a piece about the possibility of Pacquiao facing Khan, but if anything will pluck Money Mayweather out of his hibernation, it will be Pacquiao dominating Khan.
After the lackluster Mayweather Jr. vs. Pacquiao PPV, it was clear to all that no one in their right mind would consider paying for a second one.
Then came the injured shoulder news, and the claim that the Filipino champion underperformed due to this unfortunate grievance. Selling that and making the rematch, with expectations of another PPV avalanche would be tough. The only way to bring the feasibility of their rematch back is for Pacquiao to showcase his abilities, and prove that he can still perform like his old, freight train self.
Of all the possible bouts, it seems that facing Amir Khan would actually be good entertainment. Not only that, but it would give both fighters a chance to boost their careers.
“I can confirm that my team has been negotiating with Bob Arum; so far everything is going smooth. The contracts are being negotiated and, if everything is agreed, Manny Pacquiao will be my next opponent” Khan informed The National.
“I have been told that Manny … has been given the ‘all clear’ to start training again by his doctor, which is great news. Depending on when he and his team feels he could be ready, the fight could be in February or April 2016,” suggested Khan.
We all know that negotiations can take a very long time. That is unless both sides see a mutual benefit and can quickly agree on the terms. In the case of Pacquiao and Khan, this could be the scenario. Khan needs a big fight. He has been seeking out Mayweather Jr. for a very long time, clinching his teeth in hope of being declared his next foe. Every time rumors gave some hope to this belief, it never came to fruition. Now that Mayweather Jr. is supposedly retired, who better than Manny Pacquiao as a rival for Khan.
This fight will sell well for a few reasons, one of which is history. Both used to be coached by Freddie Roach, at times both trained in tandem, and on few occasions they even sparred each other. Then drama arrived, as Khan switched to Virgil Hunter and the nasty back-and-forth blew up between Roach and his former pupil.
It would be interesting to see if Hunter can nudge Khan to fight a strategic fight rather than an impressive one. I would be brave enough to say that it is common knowledge that if Pacquiao lands, Khan will undoubtedly hit the canvas. At the same time, Khan is quick enough to pull a sort of Mayweather Jr. on Pacquiao, staying on the outside and making Manny miss. Can Khan and Virgil pull this off? Does Roach know enough about Khan to prevent this from keeping the distance between his current and former pupil?
Pacquiao has been cleared to resume his boxing career, as a recent MRI showed that the shoulder is as good as it ever was. If the negotiations are truly taking place and making progress, if the fight is to take place in early 2016, we should know soon.