Amir Khan Takes Advantage Of Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman Clash

Manny Pacquiao will face Keith Thurman this coming weekend at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, a clash that many are eagerly awaiting. Seeing how the upcoming showdown is at an all-time high, it comes to no surprise that some camps may take advantage. Floyd Mayweather Jr. did that in the past to get a piece of the attention and now it seems Amir Khan is trying to do the same.

Khan, fresh from defeating Billy Dib of Australia in Jeddah recently, inadvertently announced that he could be facing the eight-time division champion this November if he defeats Thurman this Saturday. The Bolton fighter made the surprise announcement last Tuesday via British Radio "TalkSport" at his gym.

"To have him sign that dotted line is brilliant. No matter how he does against Thurman I still think it's a big fight," he said.

However, it seems that Khan’s claim is nothing but fake news. According to Pacquiao’s publicist, Fred Sternburg, the Filipino boxing icon has not signed any contract for that fight.

"As far as I know it hasn't been even discussed," Sternberg said in a report by BBC news. "He's been in training camp for the past eight weeks, four in the Philippines and four in the States, and he hasn't met with Amir Khan during that time."

Khan’s name has been floated several times as Pacquiao’s next opponent. The last was in 2017 but the fight fell through. The Pac-Man would eventually face Jeff Horn instead – a controversial fight which the Filipino lost via unanimous decision. He has since racked up two straight wins and will be looking to add Thurman as his third victim.

As far as Khan is concerned, the 32-year-old pug is riding high after that win on Dib. Before that, he lost via TKO to Terrence Crawford back in April. He also suffered a sixth-round knockout loss to Canelo Alvarez in May 2016.

It appears Khan is hoping to add Pacquiao to his list of high-profile opponents. Both are former sparring partners and remain good friends. However, Khan warns that all these changes when (and if) both fighters step into the ring.

“The respect is always there but it is a business and sometimes friends have to fight each other,” said Khan.