To maximize its earning potential on pay-per-view, the Manny Pacquiao vs Amir Khan world welterweight title fight has been moved from April 23 to May 20 in the Middle East.
The venue remains unchanged with the two leading cities of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)?the capital Abu Dhabi and Dubai ? as candidate venues.
Manny Pacquiao (L) and Amir Khan
Pacquiao?s Canadian adviser Mike Koncz said the decision to move it was agreed upon by him and Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank in Las Vegas, according to a report on Yahoo Sports.
To accommodate the American audience, the fight will be held early-morning of Saturday in the UAE so it will be primetime Friday night in the US.
Holding it on Sunday morning in the UAE was ruled out because the traditional Western weekend of Saturday-Sunday is not observed in the Middle East.
Sunday, and not Monday, is the start of the work week in the Middle East where there is a large population of Filipino overseas workers. Khan, who is a Muslim of Pakistani descent, is a renowned figure in the UAE, where he frequently visits.
?We decided to move it to May 19 here and May 20 in the United (Arab) Emirates so we?d have time to promote it properly and make it a huge success,? said Koncz in a story ran by Kevin Iole.
Pushing the fight to May, where the weather in the UAE once hit 45 degrees Celsius, could be a problem although the country has an average temperature of 25-37 degrees during that time of year.
Still, Koncz feels Pacquiao and Khan won?t oppose the change of schedule.
?I have to talk to both fighters (on Wednesday) to get them to approve going in May instead of in April. I don?t think that will be any problem,? said Koncz.
Pacquiao was being groomed by Arum to bring his act to Australia to face Jeff Horn in Brisbane but Koncz was quick to rule it out, saying the UAE had a juicier offer.
Khan was also selected on the strength of his strong showing in a poll conducted on-line where he emerged as the top vote-getter among four names, including fellow Briton Kell Brook, American Terence Crawford and Horn.
