Amir Khan knows that he doesn't have a sure hold on possibly being Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao's final opponent, so he may be doing the next best thing just in case.
Khan is one of three candidates being considered as Pacquiao's final opponent in April. Though nothing has been announced yet, the British southpaw is reportedly mapping out a back-up plan, and this could see him finally facing fellow Briton Kell Brook in 2016.
"I'm waiting to hear back from Pacquiao," says Khan via The Sun. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't fancy Bradley or Crawford, so I'm in with a chance."
In the same report, it is believed that Khan will more or less know by Friday if he has a chance of being Pacquiao's final dance partner before moving forward to plan B.
Apparently, Khan has read about reports that Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is not too keen on having Khan as Pacquiao's opponent forApril 9, 2016, as mentioned by Boxingscene.com. Though the final verdict falls in the hands of Pacquiao, Khan is evidently preparing for the worst-case scenario.
If Pacquiao opts to go with either Terence Crawford or Timothy Bradley Jr., it would mark the second time that Khan would be shunned from a big-time fight.
Prior to September, it was widely believed that the southpaw would be Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s final opponent as well. However, citing his knack for talking too much, Mayweather Jr. opted to fight Andre Berto instead last September. It was the second time he was left hanging and eventually shunned by the undefeated American boxer.
Khan has not fought since May when he defeated Chris Algieri, and at the rate things are going, his idle state could reach as long as a year.
Kell Brook has been known to want a fight against his countryman, but Khan was unsure since he opts to go with big-name fighters first rather than face someone from the same country as his. Such was proven back in April when he chose to ignore Brook prior to his fight with Algieri via the Telegraph.
However, with not much to go on, Khan may be forced to take on Brook eventually, although there is no word when that could happen.
Brook, who holds the IBF welterweight belt, is currently recuperating from a rib injury that forced him to withdraw from his scheduled October fight against Diego Chaves, as reported by Sky Sports. To date, there is no word yet on his condition.
It will also be interesting if he would take on Chaves first and then entertain Khan. If he faces Chaves first, it could hint that he will be facing Khan possibly by mid-year onwards, which means the British southpaw will be left fight-less for more than a year.