No A- Rod juice for you
AMIR Khan wants to be the opponent when Floyd Mayweather fights what could be the final bout of his career next September. But to be considered, Khan must defeat Long Island’s Chris Algieri when the two meet in a welterweight bout Friday night at Barclays Center.
Khan actually thought he had a chance to face Mayweather earlier this month, but the longawaited bout between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao was made and became what will be the richest fight in boxing history once all the receipts from the May 2 bout in Las Vegas are in.
With a Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch apparently not happening, Mayweather will look for a compelling opponent for what will be the final bout on his six fight deal with CBS/ Showtime. That’s why Khan wants to look impressive against Algieri, who is hoping to redeem himself for a onesided loss to Pacquiao last November in Macau, China.
“Winning this fight is everything to me,” Khan said recently. “I’m not looking past this Chris Algieri fight. I know it’s a very dangerous fight for me. Stylistically, he’s very dangerous and I’m not going to be looking past it. If I do, I’ll have made a mistake.”
The bout will be televised on Spike TV under the PBCon Spike banner. It could be an ideal platform for Khan, a primetime offering in them old of the old Friday Night at the Fights series.
“It’s going to give more fans the chance to tune in to get to see you,” he said. “I think it’s going to be good for boxers.”
Some eyebrows were raised when Khan ( 303, 19 KOs) was matched against Algieri ( 201, 8 KOs), who was knocked down six times against Pacquiao before losing a unanimous decision. To fight Pacquiao, Algieri had to vacate the juniorwelterweight title he claimed by upsetting Ruslan Provodnikov last summer at Barclays Center, and it was thought he would have to work his way up to another big fight.
“There’s people putting this fight down and I don’t know why,” Khan said. “At the end of the day, Chris has won a world title. He’s fought Pacquiao. He’s a very good boxer, moves well, boxes well. I definitely have to be on my Agame.
“I have to take every fight seriously,” Khan went on, as if trying to convince himself. “I’ve made that mistake in the past. I’ve fought some fights that I thought are going to be a walk in the park; I got hurt, I lost the fight. I’m not thinking any fight is going to be easy. Every fight I walk into, every person in front of me is going to be in there to win the fight.”
The interest this fight attracts could be as big a factor as Khan’s performance. Born in the United Kingdom, he is a global star with international appeal. He recently ended his relationship with Golden Boy Promotions to join Al Haymon and the Premier Boxing Champions series. If Khan can raise his profile by appearing on PBCon SPIKE, it could be enough to draw Mayweather’s attention.
“To get that fight, you have to look good. You have to shine,” Khan said. There’s been word for the last couple of years that that fight was going to happen. But I’m going to be taking every fight one step at a time. If that fight comes, obviously, it’s something I’ve always wanted.”
Khan, 28, still is looking for that significant victory that will validate all the expectations when he turned pro after a decorated amateur career. That could happen in September, if he can get past Algieri Friday night.