Aborted Pacquiao-Khan fight rekindled
Credit to Author: EDDIE G. ALINEA| Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2019 16:22:06 +0000
LOS ANGELES: Three weeks leading to his coming WBA welterweight unification matchup with American Keith Thurman, Manny Pacquiao has received yet another offer from Amir Khan to fight him.
Khan, a British of Pakistani decent again, wants Filipino eight-division champion and former stablemate Pacquiao as his next opponent.
That is if survives former world titlist Billy Dib, a substitute for an injured Neeraj Goyat of India, who he was scheduled to square off on July 12 at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
But with his original opponent sidelined after being injured in an automobile accident, Khan will instead face fellow Dib in a welterweight bout on the same date and venue.
Goyat (11-3-2, 2 KOs), 27, suffered serious injuries to his head, face and left arm in a car crash on his way home from training on Tuesday and with him out of the equation, fight organizers announced on Wednesday, a day after the accident, that Dib, will replace him.
Khan had been promoting the fight with Goyat in an event hoped to bring together the rival neighbors India and Pakistan through the sport of sweet science.
Khan is a former unified junior welterweight world titlist until removed from a sixth-round stoppage loss by challenging welterweight world titlist Terence Crawford. Australian Dib, is a former featherweight world belt-owner.
Khan had claimed he has a “verbal agreement” to face Pacquiao, a former training partner in Saudi Arabia on November 9, 2019.
Pacquiao is scheduled to fight fellow WBA welterweight titleholder Thurman on July 20 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao, a Philippine senator, has, only two days ago, pronounced himself in tip-top shape to fight anybody anytime from today.
Khan, who is in in Jeddah to promote his July 12 fight was quoted by reports as saying a blockbuster showdown will come to fruition if both he and Pacquiao emerge victorious in their upcoming fights.
“End of this year, early next year, I want to make a big name world title challenge and there’s a strong possibility it could be here in Saudi Arabia against Pacquiao,” Khan reportedly said.
“Hopefully, Manny beats up Keith Thurman the week after my fight. Then we’ll see what happens.
A fight between him and the Filipino icon, he was reportedly quoted, would set-up boxing in the Middle East forever as it could lead to multiple championship fights taking place in the region.
The two, it could be recalled, had verbally agreed to a welterweight clash in 2017, but the deal fell flat.
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