Amir Khan speaking in Oakland, Calif. following another day of training (Photo: Chris Robinson – www.HustleBoss.com)
By Chris Robinson
Tucked away in the city of Hayward in Northern California, former two-division junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan continues to wait to see if his name will be called for a huge opportunity to face off with Floyd Mayweather on May 3.
While not having dived into full training quite yet, Khan has been working closely with trainer Virgil Hunter in recent months in an effort to hone his skills as much as possible during his down time.
And despite not appearing to plea for the opportunity, Khan can’t deny how much the opportunity would mean to him at this point in his career.
“I’d love to fight Floyd Mayweather,” Khan revealed as we spoke following his training session. “In my opinion he’s the best fighter in the world.”
At 36 years old, Mayweather looks as sharp as ever and is coming off of a statement performance against Mexican superstar Saul Alvarez this past September that saw him cruise towards a unanimous decision that was easier than many expected.
Still, Khan believes he possesses certain gifts that could offset Mayweather’s attack.
“Styles make fights,” the British star explained. “We’ve seen Floyd against guys who are hard hitters, pressure fighters. We’ve not really seen him against guys with quick footwork. We have seen him a few times, against the likes of Zab Judah.
“There are other fighters who have been quick, who have caused him quite a bit of problems,” Khan explained. “Who have a good jab, who have good, clean, crisp punches. That’s what I bring to the table. I’m a different style. That’s why I think I would give Floyd a lot of problems.”
Khan last tasted defeat in July of 2012 when he was stopped in under four thrilling rounds by Philadelphia’s Danny Garcia in Las Vegas. His return victories over Carlos Molina and Julio Diaz may not have highlighted the progression that Amir hoped to show but he insists there is more to his game than just what you see on the surface.
“One thing people can say about me, when I go in that boxing ring I give it my all,” Khan stated. “I never give up in there. I’ll fight til’ the end.”
There seems to be an outside chance that Argentina’s Marcos Maidana, still riding a high from his upset over Adrien Broner in December, could land the shot at Mayweather as opposed to Khan.
Maidana makes for entertainment each time out but Khan feels he is the ideal opponent only if Mayweather is looking for another virtuoso showcase.
“You know, he’s made for Floyd Mayweather,” Khan explained of his former foe. “People want to see Floyd in with a different style. If you think about the last three opponents Floyd has faced, they got slow feet, slow hands. No disrespect, they’ve all been great fighters, but I think that suits Floyd Mayweather.
“What Floyd Mayweather has problems with is speed, explosiveness, and movement,” Khan added. “Which not many fighters bring to him. Time will tell. The ball’s in Floyd’s court and he probably will announce something in the next couple of days.”
Khan knows fully well that he would be on the B side of the promotion if he were to land the Mayweather fight but that too seems to be a welcome change to the 27-year old.
“That kind of motivates me,” said Khan. “It gives me that extra push to go into the gym and work hard. Being an underdog kind of motivates you a lot. I know if I’m up against Floyd Mayweather I’ll bet he underdog and I love proving people wrong.
Chris Robinson can be reacheda at Trimond@aol.com