Just like that, the possible opponent for Manny Pacquiao in 2016 has been whittled down to one — Amir Khan.
Khan was always the top name on the list. The Briton headlined the list of potential opponents, which included Juan Manuel Marquez, Lucas Matthysse, Kell Brook and Terence Crawford. But the latest development on the matter sees Khan the likely opponent, as revealed by Top Rank promoter Bob Arum.
"I'm in the process of having negotiations with Amir Khan's uncle and his lawyer, Robert Davis, and those negotiations are ongoing. I know there was a report that Khan was coming here to make a deal with Ruslan Provodnikov, but he assured me that was not the case," says Arum via a report from the Daily Telegraph.
Khan himself would, of course, be wise not to pass on the opportunity, having failed to land a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in what was believed to be the latter's farewell bout last Sept. 12.
The camps of both Khan and Pacquiao have started talking as early this year; chances are the current round of talks is more of finalizing the date. The venue for the fight will most likely be held in Las Vegas rather than Dubai or Macau as rumored earlier.
Pacquiao is still on the mend as he tries to completely recover from a right shoulder surgery, which he underwent right after his May 2 loss to Mayweather.
Khan, on the other hand, has been left idle since hacking out a unanimous decision win over Chris Algieri last May 29. Khan had hoped to fight Mayweather in September, but the undefeated American opted to face Andre Berto instead.
Khan and Pacquiao are no strangers to each other, having been spar mates before the British Southpaw left the wings of Freddie Roach. He is looking for a big win against the Filipino boxer, but much of that would depend on how well Pacquiao performs with a fully repaired shoulder.
