The Citizen (Gauteng)

Now Amir wants to take on Floyd

CHAMPION’S MANAGER: HE’S READY WHEN YOU ARE

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Mayweather vows his next fight would be his last.

Britain’s former twotime light-welterweig­ht world champion Amir Khan has said he wants to be the next opponent for Floyd Mayweather after watching ringside as the American outpointed Manny Pacquiao on Saturday.

Mayweather kept his unbeaten record with a unanimous points victory in a welterweig­ht unificatio­n showdown that failed to live up to all the pre-match hype.

Mayweather said afterwards he would only get in the ring once more – in September – and Khan, 28, believes he is ideally placed to be the American’s final opponent.

“I spoke to Len Ellerbe, his manager. I saw him in the media room and he came over to say ‘hi... he’s ready when you are’.”

The Bolton boxer, with 30 wins and three losses, is in action later this month in New York taking on Chris Algieri, but he hopes to get in the ring with Mayweather later this year or early in 2016.

Early reactions to the richest fight in boxing history were mixed with Oscar de la Hoya saying on Twitter: “Sorry boxing fans” and “call me old school but I like the fans getting their money’s worth by watching an actionpack­ed fight.”

Former Irish champion Barry McGuigan agreed, saying on his Twitter site “boringly one-sided”.

Others though praised Mayweather’s boxing skills as he took his unbeaten streak to 48 wins.

Former world heavyweigh­t champion Mike Tyson told Sky Sports: “It’s him. It’s who he is. It’s just his time at the moment.”

Britain’s Lennox Lewis on Twitter said: “If U can’t catch it you can’t hit it #Maypac that pretty much sums up the fight.”

Frank Bruno hailed Mayweather as a supreme “craftsman”.

“You have to go very, very far before you can be a skilled craftsman, businessma­n, technician, profession­al and a king in knowing his craft,” he said. –

 ?? Picture: Reuters ?? TAKE THAT! Floyd Mayweather lands a left to the face of Manny Pacquiao in the 11th round of their welterweig­ht world title fight in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Picture: Reuters TAKE THAT! Floyd Mayweather lands a left to the face of Manny Pacquiao in the 11th round of their welterweig­ht world title fight in Las Vegas on Saturday.

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