Resuming his training in anticipation of a massive return matchup with Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan
With a possible rematch with Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan has officially announced that he is back in training.
The Filipino superstar’s WBO welterweight belt was scheduled to be defended by Khan against Pacquiao in the United Arab Emirates in 2017.
The fight was abandoned, though, when an unidentified investing group’s $38 million pledge did not come through.
Pacquiao chose to defend his title against Jeff Horn instead, as the two had previously held extensive negotiations before the announcement of the lucrative match between them.
After a year, there was more discussion, but it remained unfulfilled, about the battle being at a stadium in the United Kingdom.
Talks of “Pac-Man” and “King” Khan facing off in the ring resumed last year after it was revealed that both fighters were in talks to hold a match in Saudi Arabia.
Following a stoppage loss to Kell Brook in 2022, Khan, then 37, announced his retirement from boxing. Two years later, he is back in the gym aiming for a rematch with the eight-weight world champion.
“I mean, I am training a little bit here and there, but Turki Alalshikh is the only man that can make that fight happen,” Khan stated in an interview with The Sun.
“I believe Manny Pacquiao and I can fight thanks to Turki Alalshikh.”
“Yes, that fight would undoubtedly give me more confidence.”
Not long after losing his WBA (super) welterweight belt to Cuban challenger Yordenis Ugas in 2021, Pacquiao declared his retirement from boxing.
He took this break to concentrate on his presidential candidature in the Philippines, but after it failed, he returned from retirement in December 2022 to take on Korean martial artist DK Yoo.
The 45-year-old hasn’t engaged in combat since, but it seems like a matchup against Khan—who weighs 147 pounds—will be his next move.
“We are currently working on it,” Pacquiao stated in 2023. “We anticipate that the fight will happen in the next year. There will be a bout at 147′.
Khan is equally adamant that the fight will probably take place.
“You’ve been hearing rumors that Manny Pacquiao is here,” the fighter, who was born in Bolton, stated to the Daily Mail.
“We are now having discussions. We’ve had a few conversations, and that altercation might occur. The battle between myself and Manny Pacquiao is much anticipated.
We’re going to have a sit-down here because Mama is in town. It would be fantastic if the fight took place here or somewhere else.
“I think my fight with Manny Pacquiao will be fantastic,” the fighter said. He and I get along well, and I’ve always looked up to him.