Oscar De La Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions, is making noise about Amir Khan facing a superstar opponent if he can get past Devon Alexander this Saturday, but Top Rank CEO Bob Arum said that Khan's team passed on a big opportunity recently.
According to reports, Arum said that he checked in with Khan about a possible fight vs. Manny Pacquiao and got "the runaround."
De La Hoya has said he believes that Khan has the potential to be an all-time great, but is well past due for star-making fights.
"Amir Khan has been having eliminator after eliminator. The time for him is now. He deserves to be fighting Floyd Mayweather. He deserves to be fighting Manny Pacquiao," De La Hoya said.
"It really rubs me the wrong way that Amir has been promised fighting the likes of Mayweather and Pacquiao and it hasn't happened yet. He is at the perfect moment of his career. And one thing is for sure: 2015 is going to be his year. He is a force to be reckoned with, a threat to everyone in the welterweight division. I've always said if you put him up to the test, if you put him up against a Floyd Mayweather, a Manny Pacquiao, don't be surprised if he wins."
Arum, however, said that Khan was in position to take a fight with Pacquiao in the spring.
"After Pacquiao's second fight with Timothy Bradley [in April], I tried to see if Khan was interested in fighting Manny and if it was legally possible. The first guy I asked was Nick Khan, who is the agent of Freddie Roach and a friend of mine," Arum said.
"He came back and said they (Khan's advisers) gave him the runaround. We were told: 'No way'. They have contractual commitments to others, which would prevent that fight from happening.' So I dropped it."
Khan has been outspoken about his ability to solve the "May-Vinci code" that is Mayweather's renowned defense, and has said previously Pacquiao would be a more difficult fight.
"I might find Manny Pacquiao a much tougher fight than a Floyd Mayweather fight because of the styles.
"My style probably suits more a Floyd Mayweather style because it will probably take me back to my amateur days. It would be more like a game of chess, you know, where you hit me and I don't get hit."
First, though, Khan has to get past Alexander. Khan has suffered upset losses in the past, and those losses are why he hasn't gotten the super fight he craves. Khan said he is fully focused on beating Alexander, and not future bouts.
"I'm not looking beyond this fight against Devon because it's a huge fight for me and I have to win this fight to be at the level to win this fight in good style really. And that's what I need to do. I can't make any mistakes," Khan said.
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