Floyd Mayweather's next obstacle in finishing his legendary career undefeated will reportedly be 26-year-old Brit Amir Khan.
UPDATE: Thursday, Oct. 3, at 4:12 p.m. ET
A Mayweather advisor didn't flat out deny a bout against Kahn would occur, but he didn't confirm it either according to of the Lance Pugmire of the LA Times:
Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s advisor Thursday described a British report that Mayweather will fight England’s Amir Khan on May 3 in Las Vegas as “rumors.”
“Floyd just fought two weeks ago,” Mayweather advisor Leonard Ellerbe told The Times. “Can’t he take a vacation before someone anoints the next guy?
“I have no idea” where this is coming from, Ellerbe said. “We hear rumors all the time. Who wouldn’t want to fight Floyd Mayweather? Everybody wants to be in the money pot.”
---End of Update---
According to the Daily Mail's Jeff Powell, "Money" has agreed to do battle with Khan on May 3, 2014. The fight will reportedly be made official "in the next few days," as Khan has already pulled out of his scheduled bout with Devon Alexander:
Amir Khan is to do battle with Floyd Mayweather in the richest fight ever to involve a British boxer.
Bolton’s former Olympic hero will meet the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world in Las Vegas on May 3.
The official announcement will be made in the next few days and Khan has already pulled out of his challenge to world welterweight champion Devon Alexander, scheduled for December 7 in New York, to ensure that his dream fight with Mayweather is not jeopardised.
Mayweather, one of the greatest defensive boxers of all time, sits at 45-0 (26 KO) after his recent defeat of Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Although the bout was ruled a majority decision due to questionable scoring from a ringside judge, it was another dominant showing from the five-division champ.
Khan is an intriguing opponent, but whether or not he deserves a shot at Mayweather is up for debate. Many felt American Danny Garcia had earned the next shot at the pound-for-pound king following his recent victory over Argentina's Lucas Matthysse—a decision that brought his record to a perfect 27-0. Garcia also defeated Khan by fourth-round TKO back in July, 2012.
Khan was already coming off a split-decision loss to Lamont Peterson before falling to Garcia, but he followed up those setbacks with a 10th-round TKO of Carlos Molina and a unanimous-decision victory over Julio Diaz to improve his record to 28-3.
It's unlikely that he will be able to solve the quickness, intelligence and defense of Mayweather, who is almost 10 years older than Khan but only seems to get better with age. Nevertheless, if this report is true, the former Olympic silver medalist is headed for the biggest payday of his career.
According to ESPN's Dan Rafael, Mayweather and Canelo broke the records for PPV buys, PPV revenue and gate total. While this fight likely won't be as massive as "The One," Khan's name value should help generate buzz leading up to the fight.
Powell's report states that Mayweather has expressed interest in fighting at the legendary Wembley Stadium in London, but that won't happen for financial reasons.
Per the Daily Mail, "Not only would an early-afternoon timing in the US compromise pay-per-view takings there but even a live gate of 70,000 at the stadium would generate revenue of no more than £7million. There are also significant tax benefits from boxing in Nevada."
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