Welterweight world titleholder Manny Pacquiao (59-6-2) announced Wednesday that he in negotiations to face former stablemate Amir Khan (31-4-0) in his next fight. This comes after weeks of rumors and conflicting reports over who he would be facing next in the ring.
“My team and I are in negotiations with Amir Khan for our next fight. Further announcements coming soon,” Pacqiuao said on his official twitter feed.
To which Khan responded quite cleverly, “Time to play.”
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who is Pacquiao’s promoter, had been making a deal with Duco Events, a New Zealand promotional company, for Pacquiao to defend the 147-pound belt against Australia’s Jeff Horn on April 22 in Brisbane, Australia. However, according to an ESPN report, the deal fell apart because Pacquiao wanted to chase money in the UAE.
“The Australian deal is not going to happen now, because Manny is trying to get a fight done in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the people there favor him fighting Amir Khan,” Arum told ESPN Wednesday.
And in a recent poll on his personal Twitter account, Khan (31-4-0) was chosen as his next preferred opponent by his fans.
As far as money, Arum is not sure if the UAE deal is legitimate.
“The Australian deal was a lot of money, but it paled in comparison to the…money they’re offering — $38 million. I’m a practical man. The money in Australia wasn’t anywhere near $38 million. What do I know? We live in an alternative reality world. I don’t know if the $38 million is real, it trumps the Australian deal. If it’s real, we will assist putting on the event, but I’m not holding my breath and I’m not making plane reservations.”
So for now, it looks as if Pacquiao has found his next opponent, but let’s just hope this deal can be reached.
