Any chance that Amir Khan could be gazumped by Manny Pacquiao in his bid for that mega-millions fight with Floyd Mayweather next spring has been scotched by the Money Man?s American promoter.
Richard Schaefer, chief executive of Golden Boy, declares that he has ?no interest whatsoever? in doing business with the PacMan?s promoter Bob Arum.
Anticipation for the richest fight in ring history was revived when Pacquiao came back from that shock KO by Juan Manuel Marquez to thrash much-touted young gun Brandon Rios last month.
The heat rose when the WBC responded to that performance by reinstating Pacquiao as the No 1 contender for Mayweather?s world welterweight title.
It was also thought that Pacquiao?s tax problems in the US and his native Philippines might force him to modify his bargaining position and take any percentage he could get from a potential $300 million battle with Mayweather.
Not so fast.
Pacquiao needs Arum more than ever as he refutes the charges of tax evasion, especially in the Philippines where he is also a prominent politician with ambitions of becoming president.
Confirmation of Mayweather v Khan is inching ever closer and was given another push on Saturday by a dramatic solving of The Problem.
Adrien Broner, who goes by that peculiar nickname, had all his foul-mouthed complexities socked out of him by Marcos Maidana.
Broner was regarded as America?s heir-apparent to Mayweather?s peacock throne, before he took that 12-round, two knock-down beating in San Antonio.
Now Maidana?s upset win will help Golden Boy sell Khan to the US public as a valid opponent for Mayweather.
Despite his allegedly suspect chin, Khan survived the heaviest blows Maidana could inflict and went on to defeat him.
Now the big-punching Argentine has done Khan?s credibility a huge favour.
As the man who beat Maidana, our Olympian boy from Bolton promises to be bigger pay-per-view box office for the Showtime cable network in America.
Mayweather is playing his part by talking up Khan as ?a young champion.?
Also, support is growing for Khan?s belief that his speed and high volume of punching can ask more difficult questions of the best boxer in the world than the tough guys Mayweather has been despatching with relative ease.
The MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas remains favourite to host the May 3 bout although some effort is reportedly under way to tempt Mayweather away from the comforts of his home town, to the new Brooklyn Center in New York.
