AMIR KHAN has opened up on raring to give “a hell of a try” to trounce Floyd Mayweather in a dream match that never took off, and how he discovered the former world champ to be “a funny character” off the ring.
The British boxing ace had for long been keen to challenge the American pugilist-turned-promoter. His hopes, however, were dashed as Mayweather rejected Khan in favour of a bout with Argentine champ Marcos Maidana.
A confident Khan said he had even devised a “hit-and-move” game-plan to fight Mayweather.
“It would have been a game of chess,” he told Sky Sports News. “Mayweather is hit-and-move, so I’d have boxed him at his own game. That’s the way to beat him.
“I don’t know if I would have beaten him but I would have given it a hell of a try. As a fighter I have always had confidence in myself.”
Khan also revealed nuggets from an interaction with Mayweather at a WBC convention in Miami in 2018.
“He was very respectful, he hugged me,” he said, adding that they didn’t discuss the Maidana episode.
“Mayweather is a funny character. He’s one of those type of guys who wants to pick who he fights and be the boss and be the main headline. But when I met him face-to-face, he was a different guy.”
The American, who had retired undefeated in 2017, went on to quip: “Amir, I need a dancing partner!”
And Khan jabbed back: “Yo Floyd it’s me who’s waiting on you!”
Another boxing biggie on Khan’s radar was Manny Pacquiao. But the Brit conceded that it was “hard to say” if a match would materialise.
“Sometimes you wait around too long for fights like Manny,” he said. “Like Mayweather you waste so much time trying to get him to sign the piece paper that guarantees the fight is happening — you waste time.”
If Pacquiao was willing to fight, he added, “it would be great to get back in the gym to work towards that”.
“What’s left out there? The big fight with Mayweather or Pacquiao? Who knows, that’s up to them to sign,” said Khan, who has been with Covid-19 relief efforts.
Hands on filling boxes up with food and drinks for families in Greater Manchester. Great work from the @AKFoundation team and volunteers. In total 1000 boxes went out yesterday and today. #COVID__19 #Help #Thankyou pic.twitter.com/B7x4VVcH0q
— Amir Khan (@amirkingkhan) May 2, 2020
On a contest with his long-time British rival Kell Brook, he said “it was he who walked away from the fight”.
“What happened? When me and [promoter Eddie Hearn] were in talks, we were talking about it at 147lbs [welterweight].
“Then we hear that he’s gone up to 154lbs [super-welterweight]. He knows I would never go up a weight.”
Khan, however, added that Brook was a “respectable fighter”, adding that a match with him would be “massive in the UK”.
According to reports, Khan could retire if fights of his choice did not materialise.
“One or two more fights? If I get the chance to have them, I’ll do them,” he said.
“We’ll see where the world takes me, but at this moment in time I don’t know.”
In a recent interview, Khan had said: “I don’t want boxing to retire me. I want to retire before that,” he had said recently.
