With both Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan tweeting that they will fight in April, boxing fans can breathe a sigh of relief that the Filipino icon will not be facing inexperienced Australian Jeff Horn.
When the news broke that Manny Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs) would embark on a protracted world tour to end his illustrious career, the prolonged victory lap was greeted with groans by many committed boxing fans. And when 2012 Australian Olympian Jeff Horn was initially announced as Pacquiao’s first opponent, those groans turned into outright expressions of derision.
Well, so much for the Horn fight, which blindsided both fans and pundits and promised to reveal absolutely nothing about Pacquiao’s viability as an elite fighter. Don’t blame Jeff Horn, though. As a contender looking for a defining opportunity, it made complete sense for the Aussie to enthusiastically accept a career-high purse and marquee fight.
While Pacquiao’s change of plans is surely disappointing for Horn, Amir Khan (31-4, 19 KOs) — a former unified junior welterweight champion with arguably the fastest hands in boxing — represents a vastly superior opponent. Moreover, Khan, due to his unique combination of skills and flaws, should reveal exactly what Pacquiao has left in this final act of his brilliant career.
Over the past few years, Khan has drawn the ire of fight fans for his perpetual calling out of both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. While Khan, overall, does have a strong resume, he idled for long stretches and avoided logical matches (Kell Brook, specifically) in the desperate hope that he’d land one of these super fights.
Unfortunately for Khan, his recent decisions have shaved valuable time off his athletic prime and also led him to be viewed as a somewhat entitled star, which is unfortunate because there’s plenty of evidence to counteract that belief.
And yet, Amir Khan, even though he’s only fought five times since 2013, was clearly a viable opponent for both Mayweather and Pacquiao dating back several years. This is especially true when one considers some of Mayweather and Pacquiao’s opponent choices during that stretch, with Chris Algieri, Brandon Rios, Andre Berto and Robert Guerrero immediately springing to mind.
Khan is more skilled, marketable and entertaining than any of the aforementioned fighters. At his best, Khan combines ludicrous hand speed and combination punching with a gumption to engage that borders on insane. That, combined with his highly suspect punch resistance, makes every Amir Khan fight tense and thrilling.
In terms of how he matches up with Pacquiao, Khan, who sparred extensively with Pacquiao when he used to be trained by Freddie Roach, stacks up favorably when it comes to raw attributes. Khan is the taller, longer, faster and younger fighter. It must also be noted that Pacquiao hasn’t scored a stoppage since 2009, which somewhat mitigates the threat of Khan getting iced.
But make no mistake, Khan will be supremely vulnerable against Pacquiao, especially when one considers the Brit’s inability to resist the temptation of a firefight. Indeed, while Khan has all the physical tools to comfortably outbox Pacquiao, he lacks the discipline and defensive responsibility. Also, don’t discount Pacquiao’s ability to tag Khan with combinations from awkward angles and walk him onto shots with superior counter punching.
Pacquiao-Khan could unfold in myriad ways, and nearly every possible outcome is intriguing. A dominant Khan win or stoppage would both signal the end of Pacquiao and launch Khan into the stratosphere of facing the Keith Thurman-Danny Garcia winner in a massive welterweight unification contest. A Pacquiao victory would suggest he still very much belongs in that mix, especially if he’s able to turn back the clock and halt Khan.
Whatever happens, there’s no way Manny Pacquiao vs. Amir Khan will be dull. Both are such willing combatants that even if there’s a cagey start, the bout will quickly morph into a battle between dueling tornadoes. The chance for either man to get overwhelmed is one of this fight’s great selling points.
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Of course, Manny Pacquiao fighting Terence Crawford is a hardcore fan’s ideal scenario, but there’s an unfavorable risk/reward calculus at play there for Pacquiao. Because of all he’s accomplished, Pacquiao has earned the right to be obnoxiously selective for as long as he chooses to compete. And given all the boxes that need to be ticked for a Pacquiao opponent at this stage, Amir Khan is about as good as it gets.