After Australia was unable to meet the high demands and the United Arab Emirates could not provide concrete details, England now seems to be the frontrunner in staging Manny Pacquiao’s next fight, the Times of London reported yesterday.
It’s no longer going to be held on the preferred date of April 23 but instead on May 20.
And the choice of opponent won’t be unknown Jeff Horn but a marquee name in Amir Khan, Pacquiao’s one-time sparring partner from Bolton, England.
“Manny Pacquiao looks set to box Amir Khan on May 20 in one of the most high-profile bouts to be staged in the UK after terms for the contest were agreed yesterday,” the paper said.
The Times also mentioned two possible sites for the world welterweight title fight: the 29,000-capacity Macron Stadium in Khan’s hometown of Bolton or the Manchester Arena, a 21,000-seat venue 17 kilometers from Bolton.
“Contracts have not yet been signed but a verbal agreement has been made for the bout to take place in the US, despite an effort to stage it in the United Arab Emirates,” said The Times.
Interestingly, Khan’s name got the most number of votes when Pacquiao asked in his social media account the fighter his fans and followers would like him to see face in the ring.
Khan, 30, was a runaway winner while also getting votes were another Briton Kell Brook and unbeaten American Terence Crawford. Horn, who has fought exclusively in Australia and New Zealand, was at the cellar.
Khan, who has a 35-4 win-loss card with 19 Kos, served as Pacquiao’s sparmate in the country and in the US in 2010.
Pacquiao, 38, had an easy time beating Jessie Vargas in his last fight in November, while Khan was knocked out by Mexican Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in his last outing in a middleweight matchup in May last year. (Nick Giongco)
