In our exclusive interview, the former light-welterweight world champion discusses a potential return to the ring for a WBC welterweight title shot.
Amir Khan says he could consider a return to the right to face Manny Pacquiao for the WBC welterweight world title, but he doesn’t believe Pacquiao would accept the fight.
Boxing legend Pacquiao is making a comeback following four years away from boxing and will take on champion Mario Barrios for the WBC belt in July.
Pacquiao is the underdog in the boxing betting, but Khan believes Barrios is a good match-up for the 46-year-old.
Khan has long been rumoured for a fight with Pacquiao, and is again being rumoured for a showdown with the Filipino, should he beat Barrios. In our exclusive interview, Khan discusses whether he could be tempted out of his own retirement to face Pacquiao, and says he’d need a mini training camp before even considering the fight.
What’s your opinion on Manny Pacquiao’s chances of winning the WBC welterweight world title against Mario Barrios?
I have sparred with both guys, and I sparred with Mario Barrios when he used to be with Virgil Hunter and Barrios is a very, very good fighter. He’s a very keen boxer, he doesn’t do anything messy and for Manny to come back and pick a fight like this, I think, is ideal for a great comeback fight at the age he is. The reason I’m saying that is because Barrios is a good boxer, but he’s not going to give Manny the problems that other fighters like Sean Porter or someone like myself would give. Barrios is a clean-cut boxer, so I think Manny, with his movement, he’d be too much in my opinion. When he’s moving from left to right, he’s going to throw Barrios off and he’s got the speed on his side.
Barrios has got good timing, because I’ve sparred with him a lot as well. But I feel that it’s a great match for Manny Pacquaio to come back to. But then again, I’m not taking nothing away because Barrios, I’m talking eight years ago when we were training together so maybe in that time Barrios has come on so much and so well that he is much better than he was when I sparred with him. I just think that it just depends which Barrios turns up and which Manny Pacquiao turns up. It’s going to be a great fight, though, regardless, because a lot of people want to see what Manny is going to look like coming back, and a lot of people want to see how Barrios is going to do against him.
If the money is right and Manny wins, could we see you return for a world title shot?
There’s always a possibility, but I don’t think Manny would take it. Stylistically, it is a bad fight for him and at the same time, we spoke about [fighting each other] but I have stopped thinking about it now and I don’t think it’ll ever happen. I’ve been there and done it and have been at the peak of my career and I am no longer at the peak. I can enjoy life now. I know what you mean [about returning for a title shot] but I would need to do a mini camp first and see if I still have it in me, because I don’t want to go in there and make a fool of myself.
What is behind the split between Oleksandr Usyk and Alex Krassyuk?
When it comes to a situation like this, the money part is not anything to do with it as we never really have arguments about money, because everyone knows their place and they know that the major amount of money has to go to the fighter. Managers are not going to say, ‘we want this, we want that’ because they know that it’s the fighter that’s doing all the hard work. Managers would know that, promoters would know that, so they don’t really want a lion’s share, or even half.
Normally, money is not something that we have arguments about with coaches or promoters, because promoters and fighters know where the money should be going to and who it should be going to, and the trainers and the managers understand that as well. They know that they’re lucky to be in that manager position for me, because I can go out there and pick any manager I want and even get them for free.
The exposure that manager is going to be getting is worth it. So, really, I don’t think it’s anything to do with money. I think it’s more like a misunderstanding about something, or maybe he’s done something that Usyk didn’t like or said something. Nowadays, a lot more arguments or problems happen over something small and I think it could have been that.
Look, I know the guys really well because I’ve done a lot of work with the Usyk team. Maybe it could be like an investment that went wrong. It could be something to do with RTF as well, with the company. You don’t know why it could be over, but when it comes down to money, I don’t think it’d be about that.
There must have been a problem somewhere for you to sack someone. As a fighter, we are the softest people in the sense where we say, ‘we are givers, we give, we give, we give’. We don’t care about the money side of it. We know we’re making big money, we don’t mind giving a small percentage away here or there and I know afterwards it calculates to a lot, but we are still better off than the managers and everyone else.
This is why we don’t mind giving that one or two per cent or whatever if we had to. It has to be more than that. This has to be more than Usyk complaining. Say if Usyk made £100m in his last fight, for example, is he going to complain about it? Even if he’s giving away 10 per cent, there’s £10m gone and he’s still got £90m. I mean, is he going to spend it in a lifetime? He’s then got more fights to come so I don’t think it’s about money. Normally what we do as well is as fighters, and I’m sure every fighter in boxing does this, we cap what we get. When I used to make a £3m purse, I said anything over £3m, I’m going to cap it.
Freddie Roach, Virgil Hunter or whoever I used to cap it to £300,000 for a training camp in 10 weeks, that’s a great wage. Unless you’re making that super money then you don’t mind. If you’re making $10m then you can sit down and negotiate with them because you’re making more money and then at the same time your coach earns more money.
You might push it up to $600k or $700k. I’ve had these negotiations skills with promoters and other coaches who are always with you, and you trust so much because they’re in your corner and the only person you speak to in the fight, so you know you have to look after them at the same time. Usyk’s problem may be over percentages probably or a misunderstanding because it won’t be over physical cash or someone getting stolen money, maybe he has made a mistake somewhere.
