John Locher/Associated Press
After a dominating performance over Devon Alexander on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Amir "King" Khan pulled no punches in calling out the pound-for-pound king of the sport, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Khan's length and speed led to a masterful performance against Alexander. After winning a dominant unanimous decision, it would appear there's nothing left for Khan to do but challenge the best. As good as he looked on Saturday night, he may never get a shot at Mayweather.
Just before the bout, Mayweather, who was watching the fight, appeared on the Showtime broadcast and called out Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather even threw out the date of May 2 for what would likely be the biggest pay-per-view bout in the history of the sport.
Here's a look at the interview with Showtime's Steve Farhood:
Khan still persists, per Golden Boy Promotions, that he is the one who would be most competitive against Mayweather.
While a Mayweather-Khan bout could potentially be a draw, the monetary compensation for Money would pale in comparison to what he figures to make from a fight with Pacquiao.
Because of that, and the longstanding public outcry for Money and Pac-Man to finally meet, Khan getting his wish seems like a long shot. If Mayweather does fight Pacquiao in May, he would still have one more fight left on his current contract with Showtime/CBS.
It's possible that fight could be against Khan.
That would likely require Khan to take and win one more fight in the meantime. Quite possibly, he could fight on the undercard of Mayweather-Pacquiao in May. An opponent like Keith "One-Time" Thurman seems like a logical option.
He easily outpointed Leonard Bundu on the undercard of Khan-Alexander to set up his own ascension up the 147-pound ladder. Thurman is a boxer-puncher who would be especially dangerous for Khan considering the latter has a reputation for having a weak chin.
Khan's camp could target a less dangerous fight, but that might not be impressive enough to make him a compelling opponent for Mayweather.
If Khan can't get Mayweather, it seems he's already trying to line up a fight with Pacquiao. In an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report, Khan said:
"Manny and I used to train and spar together, so I know what he is capable of. I also know that I can beat him. If I was to get a chance to prove that, then I think it would be a great spectacle for boxing and a great fight for the fans to see."
He may run into a similar issue challenging Pac-Man. There's no way Pacquiao would turn down a fight with Mayweather to face Khan. If Pacquiao or Mayweather loses the potential superfight, they won't carry the same appeal for Khan.
The best option for Khan is to hope the Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations somehow fall apart once again.
This is Anfield columnist Thomas McMahon loved Khan's performance on Saturday night but doubts he'd have the same success against Mayweather or Pacquiao.
There's no doubting the ambition, hunger and skill Khan possesses. Armed with all three qualities, he's hunting the biggest fish in the boxing pond. We'll have to see if he reels one in. From there, the question will be whether his catch sinks his boat.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2299323-amir-khan-calls-out-floyd-mayweather-after-win-over-devon-alexander
