SONAHR: May 31, 2015 – Amir Khan is a man on a mission. That mission is to take on Floyd Mayweather Jr., and remove the ?0? from the loss column of the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The British welterweight came close to sharing a ring with Mayweather last year, but Floyd opted to face Marcos Maidana instead. Maidana gave such a good account of himself in a losing cause that Mayweather gave him a rematch, in which he defeated the dangerous Argentine more decisively than he had in their first go-round.
Then came Mayweather?s recent super-mega-bout with Manny Pacquiao. After outpointing the Pac-man, Mayweather said he intends to have one more fight in September, then retire. If he wins that fight, he?ll retire with a 49-0 record, matching the undefeated ledger of 1950s heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano. The question is: Who will be Mayweather?s opponent for his date with destiny?
?Pick me! Pick me!? cries Khan, as he has for the past two years. Khan and his supporters, who are legion in Amir?s native Britain, are convinced that their man has the speed and skill necessary to present Mayweather with problems that, at the age of 38, he might no longer possess the capacity to solve. On the other hand, Khan?s detractors ? who aren?t as numerous as his fans but are just as vocal ? claim that the Brit?s fragile jaw and defensive flaws will prove his downfall against even an aging Mayweather.
Last Friday, Khan had a chance to showcase his skills in a bout with Chris Algieri, the former 140-pound champion who last year had risen from the floor to upset Ruslan Provodnikov, then hit the canvas six times in a one-sided points loss to Pacquiao. A spectacular win over Algieri would enhance Khan?s value as Mayweather?s final opponent.
Khan prevailed by decision. But the victory was far from spectacular. Fighting with far more aggression and pizzazz than he displayed against Pacquiao, Algieri kept the fight competitive, and even shook Khan up on a couple of occasions. And Khan wasn?t able to put Algieri on the deck, even though Chris had been floored at total of eight times in his previous two bouts.
It was a win for Khan ? but it was a ?so what? type of win. It did nothing to ameliorate the two factors that work against his chances to land his coveted Mayweather match.
The first factor is money. Of course, it will be a long time before any bout comes close to generating the $320-million purse for which Mayweather and Pacquiao swapped leather. Even so, Mayweather?s finale is going to have to come against an opponent who can attract at least a sizable fraction of the money that poured in for the Pacquiao bout. A Khan contest is not that lucrative a proposition ? at least not in the United States.
It could, however, command a bonanza of bucks ? or pounds sterling ? if the fight took place in Britain, where Khan is king. But the risk-averse Mayweather is not likely to be amenable to fighting outside the safe confines of the MGM Grand arena in Las Vegas.
So, chances are that Khan?s mission to fight Mayweather will turn out to be a mission impossible. But if Khan wants a superfight, he can have one at home against fellow British superstar and current IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook. Brook wants Khan as badly as Khan wants Mayweather. As a consolation prize, a Khan-Brook showdown would not be shabby at all.
Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace, as well as the Imaro series of fantasy/adventure novels. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current Vice-President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians and Researchers. His novels, Imaro, Damballa, and Abengoni: First Calling are available at Amazon.com.
