British boxer Amir Khan reportedly rejected an offer to fight Manny Pacquiao, preferring to face Floyd Mayweather instead.
In a report by Telegraph, Khan is aiming to earn a chance to fight Mayweather if he successfully defeat Devon Alexander in December 2014 in Las Vegas.
Khan said that a win against Alexander will get him the Mayweather bout. He said, "I'm not looking beyond this fight against Devon because it's a huge fight for me and I have to win this fight to be at the level to win this fight in good style really. And that's what I need to do. I can't make any mistakes."
He continued, "But yeah, this fight can lead us both to a huge fight in the future between me and Mayweather or Pacquiao, so, it's all about just being focused and sticking to the game plan."
According to Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum, Khan turned down an offer in April 2014 to fight the Filipino. Arum told Telegraph, "After Pacquiao's second fight with Timothy Bradley [in April], I tried to see if Khan was interested in fighting Manny and if it was legally possible. The first guy I asked was Nick Khan, who is the agent of Freddie Roach and a friend of mine."
Arum explained in a report by International Business Times, "He came back and said they (Khan's advisers) gave him the runaround. We were told: 'No way'. They have contractual commitments to others, which would prevent that fight from happening. So I dropped it."
Based on an article by Sports World News, one of the main reasons why Khan would prefer to fight Mayweather over Pacquiao is because of the latter's fighting style. Khan said, "I might find Manny Pacquiao a much tougher fight than a Floyd Mayweather fight because of the styles." He continued, "My style probably suits more a Floyd Mayweather style because it will probably take me back to my amateur days. It would be more like a game of chess, you know, where you hit me and I don't get hit."
Khan added, "It would be about getting the angles right. When you know you're fighting someone like Floyd Mayweather you're going to be on the edge." He said, "I know he's going to be so sharp, knowing that you can't make any little mistake, because you make a small mistake against Floyd Mayweather, he'll capitalize on it. So, that only makes you a much better fighter and keeps you on your toes, really."