Don’t be a Manny-grabber

KHAN’S WARNING TO PAC-MAN OVER PRICE

AMIR KHAN has warned Manny Pacquiao not to price himself out of a December dust-up or he will face Kell Brook instead.

The Bolton fighter told Starsport last week that he favours a fight with ring legend Pacquiao over British rival Brook.

But Filipino veteran Pacquiao (below) is demanding more than £10m to travel to the UK to face the former world light-welterweight champion.

Khan’s promoter Eddie Hearn reckons that is too much for a fight he believes could generate £20m.

But after climbing off the canvas to beat Samuel Vargas on Saturday night in Birmingham, 31-year-old welterweight Khan said: “My message to Manny is not to price himself out.

“Manny needs to know I have other options, I have Kell Brook there.

“Manny can’t price himself out, he is not going to make the same kind of money fighting anyone else.”

Khan used to train with Pacquiao, who holds a version of the WBA welterweight title, at Freddie Roach’s gym in LA.

But since Khan split with

Roach he has been game for a fight with ‘Pacman’ and will now hold talks with Hearn before deciding who he faces next. Khan added: “I’m a businessman too so I will go with whatever is the best fight financially. “Both bouts are tough, both fights are the same and they are not going to be easy.” Hearn has Cardiff’s Principality Stadium provisionally booked for December 1 and 8 but now wants to stage Khan’s next fight on December 15 or 22.

That is because it seems likely that Tyson Fury’s shot at WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder will be December 1 in Las Vegas and Hearn does not want to go up against that on pay-per-view TV. Hearn believes the Pacquiao and Brook fights will generate similar figures but Khan will earn more against his fellow Brit because the Sheffield star will take less than a 50/50 split. Brook was ringside at Arena Birmingham on Saturday as Khan floored Vargas in the second but then had to beat the count himself after being caught flush with a right hand.

Khan went on to win easily on points but looked rusty in just his second fight since his May 2016 defeat by Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

Colombian Vargas warned Khan he is not ready to face Pacquiao.

Power

He said: “I did not think it would be that easy to hit him.

“I thought it was going to be a lot more work. I hurt him a couple of times but he boxed out of it.

“How would he do against Manny? Do I even have to answer? I believe Pacquiao’s power is too much.

“No disrespect to Amir, who is a great fighter and just outboxed me, but Pacquiao stops him, no matter how old he is.”