After unifying the WBA and IBF light welterweight titles over the weekend against an outmatched Zab Judah (41-7, 28KOs), Britain’s Amir Khan (26-1, 18KOs) got one step closer to his ultimate goal of fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr. (41-0, 25KOs) sometime next year.
Before that happens Mayweather has a September bout with WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22KOs) , while Khan is expected to take at least one more fight at 140lbs, possibly against Mexican great Erik Morales.
If the fight does take place however, it once again looks as if the much talked about fight between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao won’t be happening anytime soon.
Not so long ago it was Manny Pacquiao that Mayweather was calling out, saying during the press tour for his upcoming bout with Victor Ortiz:
?Manny Pacquiao, yes, you?re? next.
?My ultimate goal is to take the title from Victor Ortiz. Next we move on to Manny Pacquiao, then we move on to the next.?
Since then Mayweather’s apparent focus on his long time rival appears to have shifted to the Filipino’s Wild Card stablemate Amir Khan.
Mayweather recently talked of his wish to fight in the U.K in the near future, and further fueling rumors of an imminent scrap, recently invited Khan fans into his gym to watch him train.
?I want to invite all my English fans in town to come to my gym this week and watch me work out for my upcoming fight with Victor Ortiz. I love my English fans.?
Khan equally seems eager to face Mayweather, and in several recent interviews has mentioned a move to 147lbs by the end of the year.
From the practicality side of things also, Khan might now appear to be a more attractive option to Mayweather than Pacquiao.
The drug testing debate still separates Floyd and Manny, or doesn’t, depending on which side and which representative of either you choose to listen to.
The disputed chain of events regarding their previous negotiations is still something that they fail to agree on.
The defamation lawsuit is another potential issue, and one that would likely need to be resolved before the pair could fight. The most recent court date saw Mayweather pulling a no-show, and seemingly little progress has been made since.
