Floyd Mayweather has responded to Amir Khan's allegations that he took the "easy route" by facing Manny Pacquiao instead of him.
Boxing News 24 reported that Mayweather offered to give Khan a free ticket to watch the mega-bout live on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mayweather also previously told Khan during an interview that the Brit was not very popular yet in the United States to make him a worthy opponent. Khan had been on a winning spree but his tickets are not selling out. He needs to beat bigger opponents to gain more fame and possibly get a chance to face Mayweather or Pacquiao before they retire.
ESPN reported that Khan said in an interview with The Sun that he is devastated that he could not land a big fight against either Mayweather or Pacquiao.
He previously said, "My strong performance against Devon Alexander has made some of the opponents think twice about taking me on. Mayweather has probably chosen to fight Pacquiao because it's an easier fight."
He continued, "He is taking the easy route but boxing is a business and obviously he is going to do what makes for sense for him financially."
Khan also told The Sun, "The thing is when they were both at their peak - which was six years ago - this fight was talked about then and it should have happened then."
He added, "That's when it would have been a great fight because they were both explosive. They were both at their peak and the fight would have been massive. They both seemed unbeatable back then."
"Six years later Manny Pacquiao has had two defeats and been knocked out. Mayweather has had some good fights but he is getting old and he's showing signs of ageing now. He is getting caught a lot more frequently," said Khan. "For me, this fight isn't going to be as explosive or as good as it would have been five or six years ago. Who knows, styles make fights. They're both very experienced but it could turn out to be a boring fight because there is just so much expectation on it."
Boxing Scene reported that Khan was frustrated after the official announcement was made for a big fight between his two potential opponents. Khan was close to fighting either Mayweather or Pacquiao, especially the latter, when there were issues in prior negotiations. Now that the fight has been set, Khan will have to wait several months for his chance to face a superstar that will cement his status in the industry.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction