Keith Thurman and Amir Khan, not Manny Pacquiao, can beat Floyd "Money" Mayweather, says former two division champion Paulie Malignaggi.
Unlike many boxing fans who believe that WBO champion Pacquiao is the biggest threat to WBC/WBA champion Mayweather's unbeaten slate, Malignaggi is putting his money on Thurman and Khan, reports Boxing Scene.
The site reported that the Showtime commentator said in an interview, "A really intelligent boxing fan would understand that people like Keith Thurman and Amir Khan are more dangerous to Floyd Mayweather than Manny Pacquiao, at this level at this point."
Malignaggi says that Khan's quickness would make him a threat to defeating Mayweather and erasing his unbeaten 47-0 record, reports Scott Gilfoid on Boxing News 24.
But Gilfoid believes otherwise, citing that Khan does a lot of holding.
"I'm not so sure that he (Khan) could beat Mayweather unless there was a referee that looked the other way while Khan grabbed Mayweather in repeated head-locks and head-bending moves in each round to keep him from fighting back the way he normally does," says Gilfoid..
Thurman, who holds a 23-0 win-loss record, is widely known as a welterweight slugger. But he does not carry so much draw in boxing as much as a Manny Pacquiao or an Amir Khan just yet, which may actually be his passport to getting a fight against Mayweather sooner.
In another report by Boxing Scene, Thurman said that he is willing to fight anyone in the welterweight division but blames a healthy line of choices for his inability to get most of the names in the Top 10.
"The welterweight division is flooded. They have too many options. If they don't have so many options, they would have to deal with me," Thurman said.
As for Malignaggi, he still reasons that Pacquiao is just a fan-favorite, but not really an expert's choice to beat Floyd.
"For the mainstream sports fans that don't really understand boxing the way they should, then the Mayweather- Pacquiao fight will always be the dream fight that never happened so if it can happen then it will generate a ton of interest, a ton of worldwide audience."
He added, "But I actually think it's a pretty easy fight for Floyd Mayweather to win and I think Khan and Thurman would pose bigger risks to the perfect record of Mayweather."
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