Amir Khan told WBN he is unable to explain fresh reports regarding a possible exhibition with former training partner Manny Pacquiao.
When asked by World Boxing News on Saturday if a new story about a potential fight was true, Khan exclusively confirmed he had ‘no idea’ why he was again being linked to the clash.
WBN was at the center of failed negotiations in September when Pacquiao’s advisor, Sean Gibbons, and Khan spoke about striking up talks to get a deal done. Despite extensive interviews with both parties, WBN revealed a few days later that nothing had materialized.
Gibbons had said, “We are here in town, we are in London, and we will be attending the Joshua [vs Dubois] fight. Manny would love to end his career in England. The thought was that before he makes his way into the political field in 2025, he’d like to do one more fight and like to finish his career in England. What better place than where boxing started?
“We will see what we can come up with while we are here, but we plan to talk to Ben [Shalom] over a fight on Sky Sports, possibly before the Usyk vs Fury rematch in December.”
He added, “England is a tremendous market, and in some ways, it’s bigger for Manny Pacquiao here since he’s never fought here. It will be like the fans seeing a living legend, a Hall of Famer, and getting to see him up close and personal.
“So staging a big fight here in London or Manchester would be a perfect way for Manny to end his career. We hope we can make it happen. We will speak to Ben to give all the British fans a chance to see a boxing legend in action before he retires.
“The Khan fight has been talked about for fifteen years and has tried to be made at various times. I think that would be a very fun fight due to where they are both at with their careers. We also talked about Conor – if he’s off his suspension, that would be tremendous in December. So whatever it is, Manny would love to fight here in England.”
Gaining Khan’s side, the Bolton man went into a face-to-face meeting with Pacquiao, holding distinct trepidation.
“I saw Manny Pacquiao last night,” Khan exclusively told World Boxing News. “When I met him, I got the feeling that he wanted to fight me. There’s been no offer on the table, so I don’t know right now.”
After mulling over what went down during a London stroll, Khan added his frustration into the bargain.
“You know what, we’ve been in this position so many times, and I think Manny talks too much. He talks but doesn’t deliver. Now, anything I’ve ever said in my life, I’ve always delivered. Whether it was Manny Pacquiao and saying, ‘I’m ready to fight you,’ or whether it was the [Floyd] Mayweather fight, which I signed a contract for, and he didn’t sign his side of the contract and pulled out. He fought [Marcos] Maidana instead, a guy who I beat.
“Then, obviously, I went and fought Canelo [in 2016]. I mean, I’ve never been afraid, and I’ve always fought the biggest names out there. I’ve never been afraid of anything or anyone.
“With Manny, you never know if one day he’s serious because we’ve been talking about this for such a long time. Look, if he wants it, it can be in London, it can be in Manchester. Wherever it is, it could be anywhere in the world, really, because both of us fighters are big names. We could do a fight, but I just feel that Manny is wasting everyone’s time.
“I just think he’s full of it, really. I just don’t believe it anymore,” he added.
“So, respect where it’s due and respect to the guy. He’s a friend as well, and all this name mentioning, I just think he’s full of it, really. I just don’t believe it anymore, so it is what it is.”
Magnanimous after hearing Khan’s gripes, Gibbons told WBN, “I can understand Amir thinking that because, not as much Manny, Manny would do it in a heartbeat. It’s all the people that have been around both guys, Amir and him.
“We had Dubai and other places signing agreements, and then the money not coming through, so I can understand he is just tired of the rollercoaster up and down. However, that has nothing to do with Manny himself. If the proper amount of money were in place tomorrow, Manny would sign and fight – as Amir would.
“But the problem has always been the funding. It hasn’t been the fighters. So I don’t know if the funds are there or if anybody is interested or cares to do this in December in the UK, but the fighters, I think, would be ready.”
There’ll be no December fight despite those intentions on both sides. There’s potential to do something in the first half of 2025 if Pacquiao can secure the funding.
However, the ball – as Khan says – is firmly in the Filipino legend’s court.
