After unifying the WBA and IBF titles earlier this month, much of the talk surrounding Amir Khan’s future has been centered around a possible future bout against Floyd Mayweather.
As Khan has maintained though, he intends to take at least one more fight at light welterweight before moving up in weight, and with recent and future developments in the division he has no shortage of potential opponents.
In the coming months Timothy Bradley will likely be named by Khan as his preferred option, although at this stage he should probably be considered a rank outsider.
Still inactive for the foreseeable future due to his promotional issues, Bradley may not be ready to fight anyone before the end of the year. Also dependent on which promoter he signs with, Bradley may decide to move up in weight immediately rather than risking more lucrative future fights by fighting Khan now.
With Bradley potentially not a viable option, the next best choice for Khan likely becomes the one man who presents him with both an easy match up and potentially another strap to add to his collection.
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Erik Morales, enjoying a late career resurgence following a close decision loss to Marcos Maidana earlier this year that most thought he would lose handily, is that opponent, and should bring a third title to the table.
WBC super champion Timothy Bradley was declared to be in recess earlier this week due to inactivity, giving Morales the opportunity to fight for his fourth divisional title against Jorge Barrios.
If Morales wins as expected, he becomes the first Mexican to win four genuine world titles in four divisions. He also perhaps becomes the frontrunner as a potential opponent for Amir Khan in December.
There are questions remaining as to whether Morales is interested in Khan however. According to the latter, Morales was approached prior to Khan and Zab Judah agreeing to terms and wasn’t interested.
Although if Morales gains a title he will probably be top of Khan’s list, pressures from challengers for his two current belts may force him to defend one or the other, unless he’s willing to possibly relinquish one title to gain the WBC belt.
In stopping Victor Cayo over the weekend, Lamont Peterson became the number one contender to Khan’s IBF title.
Next month Marcos Maidana faces Robert Guerrero for the regular WBA title, again establishing a number one contender to Khan’s so called ‘super’ WBA title.
All three are keen on big money showdowns with Khan and the Maidana-Guerrero winner along with Peterson will no doubt petition the sanctioning bodies to force Khan into defending his titles as soon as possible.
Grant Houghton, Pitt: “Morales is an easy win for Khan and he can say he unified 3 titles before moving up”
