‘Pie in the sky’ quashes Pacquiao-Khan
LOS ANGELES — A welterweight title bout between WBO champion and Philippine boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and Britain’s Amir Khan has collapsed, The Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday.
Pacquiao’s long-time promoter Bob Arum told the newspaper the proposed $38 million bout scheduled for the United Arab Emirates in April had proven to be “pie in the sky”.
“When they contacted me, I told them it was pie in the sky, that this is crazy, it’s not going to happen,” Arum said.
“Manny wanted to roll the dice. He rolled the dice and it came up snake eyes. If something sounds too good to be true, it’s too good to be true.”
Arum still held out the possibility of a fight between Pacquiao and Khan later this year for “realistic numbers”, stating the proposed $38 million purse for the UAE fight had never been likely.
Arum said Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz will deliver a revised proposal for a fight against an alternative opponent, perhaps in July.
“Koncz will meet with Manny, and if he accepts it, we’ ll go ahead. If he doesn’t, there’s nothing we can do,” Arum added.
Pacquiao (59-6-2) claimed the WBO title with a unanimous points victory over American Jessie Vargas in Las Vegas last November, while the 30-year-old Khan (31-4) has not fought since being KO’d by Mexico’s Canelo Alvarez in May 2016.
Khan, a silver medalist at the 2004 Olympics, is a former world champion at junior welterweight.
Both Pacquiao and Khan had announced the UAE fight within minutes of each other on Twitter last month.
“My team and I have agreed terms with Manny Pacquiao and his team for a super fight #pacquiaokhan #April23rd,” Khan tweeted on Feb 26.
Pacquiao, 38, announced a brief retirement last year but returned to fight Vargas. After his lopsided victory, he said he still felt “like a kid”.
The flashy southpaw, who has held world titles in eight weight classes, had said he was retiring to focus on his new role as Philippine senator, after winning elections last year on the back of his sporting fame.