Amir Khan has been given hope by Floyd Mayweather Jr and Showtime despite them picking Marcos Maidana first
Floyd
Mayweather Jr and his paymasters Showtime have left the door ajar for a future
fight with Amir
Khan, admitting on Wednesday night that electing Marcos Maidana
over the Bolton fighter on the blockbuster May 3 card in Las Vegas had been “a
tough decision”.
“Floyd
spent a lot of time ruminating, going back and forth,” Stephen Espinoza, head
of Showtime Sports, revealed. “It was a tough decision [for Mayweather] to pick
Marcos Maidana. From Showtime Sports’ perspective, both options would be
interesting fights.
“Floyd
recognises that choosing the opponent for May 3 was not straightforward, and
he’s definitely considering Amir Khan for the future.”
Mayweather
has invested heavily with his own funds in putting the undercard together. “We
believe this is possibly the most expensive undercard in history,” Espinoza
said.
Instead
Khan will face Luis Collazo, a former welterweight world champion, on the
understanding that if he looks spectacular on debut at 147lbs, the 26-year-old
(record 28-3) may earn his dream fight against boxing’s unbeaten kingpin.
Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, said on Wednesday that
Khan-Collazo “may well be the fight that steals the May 3 show.”
Putting
disappointment aside after believing for four months that he would face Mayweather
in May, Khan said: “I’ve learnt so much about myself in the last few months.
I’m probably in a better position right now. I have a chance to put on a great
performance and state my case. But I’m not thinking about Mayweather anymore.
I’m focused 100 per cent on Collazo, because he’ll be bringing his ‘A’ game.”
Elsewhere,
Matchroom will on Thursday unveil Nathan Cleverly as their latest signing. The
former WBO light heavyweight champion is expected to make his debut under Eddie
Hearn by topping the bill at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on May 17.
Cleverly
has not fought since a devastating fourth-round knockout defeat by Russia’s
Sergey Kovalev at the same venue last August. But the announcement today will
bring to an end months of rumour and uncertainty surrounding his future.
It
is understood that a potential move to Matchroom – following Ricky Burns and
George Groves – from Frank Warren was privately being considered in late 2013.
Cleverly
first revealed he may retire in the aftermath of his first defeat, by Kovalev,
before agreeing to, and withdrawing from, fights against Australia’s Daniel
Ammann and Congo’s Illunga Makabu, the latter scheduled for as recently as Feb
1 at cruiserweight. “Nathan Cleverly’s position is that he remains under
contract,” Warren said on Wednesday night. The fighter refused to comment when
contacted.
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