Manny Pacquiao Next Fight: Amir Khan Bout Cancelled Over Deal? New Proposal Sent to PacMan

Late last month, reports circulated that both world champion Manny Pacquaio and Great Britain’s Amir Khan had agreed to fight on April 23, likely in the United Arab Emirates. But not so fast. According to a Los Angeles Times story out Tuesday, Pacquiao and Khan’s highly anticipated bout is “dead” — and a new proposal is supposed to be coming for the Filipino star and politician against a new, unnamed opponent.

The report quoted Pacquiao's long-time promoter Bob Arum, who was at first skeptical and doubted that a $38 million fight with Khan would be possible.

“When they contacted me, I told them it was pie in the sky, that this is crazy, it’s not going to happen,” Arum told the Times. “Manny wanted to roll the dice. He rolled the dice and it came up snake eyes. If something is too good to be true, it’s too good to be true.”

Arum also said he's waiting to see if Pacquiao likes the new proposal but that a new fight may be pushed back to July with another opponent.

Originally, the 38-year-old Pacquiao and the 2004 Olympic silver medalist Khan had reached terms and announced plans to fight on Feb. 25. Pacquiao even took to his official Twitter account to start the promotion tour.

Pacquiao, who last stepped into the ring in November, had also considered fighting Australian welterweight Jeff Horn, the Guardian reported.

It wasn't immediately clear what caused a snag in the talks between Pacquiao's and Khan’s respective camps, but one of the reasons could have been money — specifically, the purse and share of the pay-per-view and gate.

Last year, Pacquaio took on Americans Timothy Bradley and Jessie Vargas and claimed both fights via unanimous decision after 12 rounds apiece. Those victories perhaps wiped away his harrowing loss to undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May 2015, a “superfight” that smashed all PPV and gate records and likely became the standard to which Pacquiao expects to get paid until he retires.

Khan, 30, has also sought redemption after his five-fight win streak was snapped by Mexico’s overpowering Canelo Alvarez in May. Khan was dropped in the sixth round by Alvarez and has sought a new opponent ever since.

If the negotiations open back up and Pacquiao and Khan reach a final agreement, the bout would be the first for either in the UAE. ESPN reported that three venues in Abu Dhabi and Dubai were under consideration to host the fight. Pacquiao’s lawyer, Michael Knocz, also confirmed the fight would take place there.