Trending News

Boxing News 2014: Amir Khan Will Face Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Next Year, Oscar De La Hoya Says

Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya expressed confidence that Amir Khan will finally get his chance to face either Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao in 2015.

De La Hoya said in an interview with The Guardian that he is disappointed by the fact that Khan is being overlooked by big-name fighters like Pacquiao and Mayweather, but De La Hoya guaranteed that the Briton will get the biggest fight of his career next year.

De La Hoya predicted that Khan will have the best year of his career in 2015. And if Khan gets a shot against either Mayweather or Pacquiao, "The Golden Boy" said that the 28-year-old could pull off an upset.

"One thing is for sure: 2015 is going to be his year," De La Hoya said of Khan. "He is a force to be reckoned with, a threat to everyone in the welterweight division. I've always said if you put him up to the test, if you put him up against a Floyd Mayweather, a Manny Pacquiao, don't be surprised if he wins."

Khan, who is set to defend his World Boxing Council silver welterweight title against Devon Alexander on Saturday, almost got a shot against Mayweather earlier this year. He was considered favorite to land a bout against the reigning pound-for-pound king in May, but the unbeaten champion eventually decided to face Marcos Maidana.

The Bolton, England native is not losing hope, though, saying that an impressive win against Alexander will put him closer to getting his dream bout against Mayweather.

De La Hoya echoed Khan's statement, saying that the former world champion deserves a fight against Mayweather and Pacquiao especially if he wins against Alexander on Saturday.

"Amir Khan has been having eliminator after eliminator. The time for him is now. He deserves to be fighting Floyd Mayweather. He deserves to be fighting Manny Pacquiao," De La Hoya stressed.

De La Hoya admitted, though, that the fight against Mayweather is hard to arrange, considering the fact that the Grand Rapids native has been "picking" opponents over the past several years.

If Mayweather decided not to face Khan, De La Hoya said that they will negotiate with Pacquiao's camp for a fight that could be held at Wembley Stadium in London.


Join the Discussion
Real Time Analytics