By James Slater – It seems British boxing, and boxing in general, could have one huge night on April 16th of next year. If things go to plan, various members of the media are suggesting, there could be a massive doubleheader taking place – with one huge fight in the UK and then a second monster of a fight going down in Las Vegas.
The word is (according to The Guardian, USA Today, etc) WBA 140-pound champ Amir Khan – who is on the verge of superstar status due to his recent smashing victory over the big-hitting Marcos Maidana – will meet a TBA in the London, and then, a few hours later, WBA heavyweight champ David Haye will challenge heavyweight number-one Wladimir Klitschko in Vegas. Needless to say, if this doubleheader comes off it will be SOME night for the sport..
There is a lot of work to be done before the show that would take place on both sides of the Atlantic happens, but already various publications are talking enthusiastically about the in-the-works April extravaganza.
As has already been reported, Haye and his manager Adam Booth have been in talks with HBO and Golden Boy this past weekend in America, and that the talks regarding the staging of a heavyweight unification on April 16th have been going well. And Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy has stated that “King” Khan will defend his light-welterweight title that same April night; and that Khan will then fight again, in the U.S, in July.
“He will fight in April and July,” Schaefer told the Guardian of Khan. “The first fight will be in the UK and we will announce an opponent in the coming weeks.”
Staging the Khan fight might turn out to be the easy half of the planned doubleheader. Every 140-pounder out there will want a fight with Khan now, in light of his thrilling, fan-pleasing win over Maidana. A date with the light-welterweight champ will guarantee a big payday and a widely viewed T.V appearance for whoever it is who gets in there with him. Klitschko-Haye, however, though seemingly tantalisingly close, is a fight fans will only believe will happen when both guys are in the ring.
But imagine if the heavyweight/light-welterweight doubleheader did go ahead; how massive a night would it be? Worthy of the Pay-Per-View money, this blockbuster would do huge business in many countries. Fans have called for Kliatchko-Haye for a long time now, while Khan is currently one of the hottest fighters out there. But who might Khan face in his April “homecoming?”
Schaefer has mentioned a number of names: guys like Zab Judah, Breidis Prescott, John Murray and Joan Guzman. As hot as he is now, Khan could pretty much choose either of those four and guarantee a sell-out live gate.
And if fans think the talked-of April doubleheader is a big deal, keep in mind Golden Boy’s ultimate plan for Khan – a mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather! Next year just might wind up being one of the biggest ever in British boxing history!