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Amir Khan: The Man that Stopped Manny Pacquiao will Beat Floyd Mayweather JR

By Geno McGahee

Floyd Mayweather, JR., 41-0, 25 KO’s, has been untouchable as a pro, and returns to the ring after a brief hiatus to take on WBC Welterweight Champion, Victor Ortiz. The raw and powerful champion doesn’t seem to have the skill set to unlock the mystery of “Money” Mayweather, and, as usual, this has been selective matchmaking for the returning pound for pound king.

The match up that everyone has been talking about for years now is a bout between Filipino superstar, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd, but we have been led on and disappointed on more than two occasions and it is time to move forward. The man that has made the biggest noise lately has been British superstar, Amir “King” Khan.

Khan, 26-1, 18 KO’s, is the WBA/IBF Light Welterweight Champion, but he is planning on moving up in weight and invading the division that Floyd now resides in. In his last fight, he dismantled an old Mayweather foe, in former Welterweight Champion, Zab “Super” Judah.

Over the course of five rounds, Khan used his superior skills to control the outing, frustrating the smaller man and keeping him at bay. On October 27th, 2010, RSR was the first to break the stoppage of Manny Pacquiao in sparring by Khan. He controlled and stopped the “PacMan”, showing his class in the ring. It is this same class that will make the fight with Mayweather competitive, if it happens, which is more likely than a showdown with Pacquiao at this point.

In the Judah fight, a body shot closed the show, but in reality, it was Judah looking for the nearest exit. He couldn’t do anything against Khan. He was getting battered and beaten and elected to find a soft spot on the canvas and called it a night. It was one of the most impressive moments in the career of the 24 year old champion.

Khan is growing and is expected to vacate his titles and move up to the welterweight class and what better place to start then with a mega showdown with Floyd Mayweather, JR?

The man standing in the way at the moment is Victor Ortiz, a good comeback fight for Floyd. As gutsy and tough as Ortiz is, he will have to fight the perfect fight in order to come out victorious. Against Andre Berto, the fight where he won the title, Ortiz was dropped and he struggled. Berto is not the technician that Floyd is, and if Ortiz doesn’t blitz and remain aggressive throughout, then we are going to have a wide margined UD for the returning Mayweather, and that is the most likely scenario.

There are three options after that fight for Floyd. One is to take on Sergio Martinez, a fast and accurate southpaw that fights in the middleweight division, a fighter that may prove too big for him, and then there is Manny Pacquiao, a fighter that must get beyond Juan Manuel Marquez in his next fight, and then finally, there is Amir Khan. I think that you can throw out Martinez and judging by the past, you can make Pacquiao a long shot. King Khan seems to be the winner in this and it will not be the first time that Floyd has taken on the most popular man in the UK.

In 2007, Floyd knocked out Ricky Hatton, giving him his first defeat. The rowdy British crowd and large fan base of the “Hitman’s” brought that pay per view to a new level. Khan, like Hatton, is a national hero, and has supporters that will follow him around the globe. Should he land a fight with Floyd, it would be huge for boxing and a huge success for the pocketbooks of the promoters.

Mayweather is a businessman and will look for the most reward for the least risk. Since Khan is moving up in weight, he may be perceived as too small to pose a threat, as Marquez proved to be. Pacquiao is very dangerous and Martinez is too big. Khan is the only man left standing that is appealing if you remove the other two, and he has the right skills to frustrate and perhaps defeat the man that nobody has been able to touch thus far.

We should see some big announcements should Mayweather overcome Ortiz. I suspect he will fight again after that should he win and the fight very well may be a showdown with Amir Khan.

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