Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan. File photos
After missing out on a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., former two-time world champion Amir Khan could get the big bout he badly wants against a different opponent in Manny Pacquiao.
The potential fight could happen next year somewhere in the Middle East, as per the Filipino boxing icon’s promoter Bob Arum.
“This kid Amir Khan keeps shooting his mouth off about Manny Pacquiao. I can arrange for Khan to fight Pacquiao,” Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, told The Telegraph.
READ: Khan eyes possible Pacquiao fight in Dubai
“Amir Khan has been begging Mayweather for a fight and now he can get a major fight. I’m not a hard guy to deal with. I’m not going to mess them around,” said Arum.
Arum also took a swipe at Mayweather for choosing Andre Berto as is next opponent on Sept. 12 in what the pound-for-pound king has insisted to be his farewell fight.
“That’s a farce. Mayweather should have fought Khan next. It would have been an interesting fight.”
READ: ‘Mayweather is scared,’ Khan says
Arum cleared that a Pacquiao-Khan duel won’t happen anytime this year with the eight-division champion still recovering after undergoing surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff last May.
“Manny’s not going to fight this year,” he said. “He’ll fight early next year and probably in the Middle East. Vegas is a possibility, but more likely in the Middle East. It won’t be in Dubai but it will be in the Middle East. If not, we’ll do it in Vegas.”
Arum believes Pacquiao will beat the 28-year-old Khan, who scored a unanimous decision over Chris Algieri last May 29 in New York.
“It’s a good fight. Manny beats him, though, in my opinion. Manny is getting up in age, so you never know what’s going to happen. But I think he hits too hard for Khan.”
READ: Khan says Mayweather took easy way out by fighting Pacquiao instead of him
Pacquiao and Khan go a long way. Khan was a former sparring partner of Pacquiao and used to be under the same trainer in Freddie Roach before the British boxer had a falling out with the Hall-of-Fame coach.
“We’re not dangling (an offer for Khan like Mayweather did). I want to go in and make a deal with the guy. I’m happy to have lunch with them and discuss the situation.”