Fibroso
05-27-2015, 10:53 AM
Victory over Algieri will me lead to Mayweather shot, claims Khanhttp://a1.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2015/0524/460439704_5.jpg&h=402&scale=crop&w=1006&location=origin
Donald Miralle/Getty Images
Nick Parkinson
Amir Khan hopes a convincing win over Chris Algieri on Friday will persuade Floyd Mayweather to choose him as his opponent for September 12.
The British welterweight (30-3, 19 KOs) faces Algieri at the Barclays Center in New York in what he sees as an audition for a bout with boxing's biggest star Mayweather.
Khan, 28, insists he is not looking beyond Algieri, 31, but knows he is also on a shortlist to face Mayweather (48-0, 26 KOs) next in what the 38-year-old American says will be his last fight.
Khan, who has sparred 250 rounds in preparation for Algieri at his training base in the San Francisco area, has now made himself available to fight in September despite observing the Muslim holy month of Ramadan from the middle of next month.
"I have to take care of Chris Algieri and then it will lead me to a big fight with Floyd Mayweather," said Khan. "That's what happened when Manny Pacquiao beat Algieri and hopefully it happens with me.
"I have the same team as Mayweather, Al Haymon, and they have most probably thought lets leave Amir until after this fight and then we can sit down and talk.
"I can do September now. Ramadan is going to be earlier this year and maybe towards the end of Ramadan I can start training. I can most probably still do a 10 or 11 week camp for that fight if it happens.
"It makes it easier having the same adviser. I will leave it to the team and once I get past this fight we will see where we go. If it is a bad performance against Algieri then I don't think it can happen, but if it's very good it has to happen."
Khan, who is a former world light-welterweight champion like Algieri, says public demand will help make a fight with Mayweather happen.
"I know the interest is there but I have to get past Algieri," Khan said. "I went to Mayweather v Pacquiao and everywhere people were saying 'Amir you should fight him next' and they were his [Mayweather] fans.
"It should be easy to make as we're in the same team and everywhere I go people are saying you should fight him next."
Algieri will be having his first fight since losing to Filipino Manny Pacquiao for the WBO world welterweight title in November.
Pacquiao, 36, went on to fight Mayweather earlier this month in a long-awaited fight that was the richest in boxing history, making $500 million in revenue. Khan knows his performance against Algieri will be measured against Pacquiao's dominant points win over the American and there is no room for failure if he wants to meet WBC-WBA-WBO welterweight champion Mayweather in September.
"There will be comparisons between what I do and what Manny did against Algieri," Khan told ESPN. "Me and Manny have different styles, but mine will give him problems. He has never faced anyone like me when it comes to explosiveness, speed, movement, height, reach and power.
"There will be improvements. He has changed trainers and with John David Jackson who is very good. Manny put him down six times, but if I see him hurt then I will be trying to put him away.
"I am not going to put pressure on myself and say I will do better than Manny, but I am going to win convincingly.
"Algieri took some big shots against Ruslan Provodnikov and Manny. If he gets put down he can get back up so we know he has heart. I can't go in thinking if I hurt him early I can go for the kill. I just have to be careful and box smart."
Donald Miralle/Getty Images
Nick Parkinson
Amir Khan hopes a convincing win over Chris Algieri on Friday will persuade Floyd Mayweather to choose him as his opponent for September 12.
The British welterweight (30-3, 19 KOs) faces Algieri at the Barclays Center in New York in what he sees as an audition for a bout with boxing's biggest star Mayweather.
Khan, 28, insists he is not looking beyond Algieri, 31, but knows he is also on a shortlist to face Mayweather (48-0, 26 KOs) next in what the 38-year-old American says will be his last fight.
Khan, who has sparred 250 rounds in preparation for Algieri at his training base in the San Francisco area, has now made himself available to fight in September despite observing the Muslim holy month of Ramadan from the middle of next month.
"I have to take care of Chris Algieri and then it will lead me to a big fight with Floyd Mayweather," said Khan. "That's what happened when Manny Pacquiao beat Algieri and hopefully it happens with me.
"I have the same team as Mayweather, Al Haymon, and they have most probably thought lets leave Amir until after this fight and then we can sit down and talk.
"I can do September now. Ramadan is going to be earlier this year and maybe towards the end of Ramadan I can start training. I can most probably still do a 10 or 11 week camp for that fight if it happens.
"It makes it easier having the same adviser. I will leave it to the team and once I get past this fight we will see where we go. If it is a bad performance against Algieri then I don't think it can happen, but if it's very good it has to happen."
Khan, who is a former world light-welterweight champion like Algieri, says public demand will help make a fight with Mayweather happen.
"I know the interest is there but I have to get past Algieri," Khan said. "I went to Mayweather v Pacquiao and everywhere people were saying 'Amir you should fight him next' and they were his [Mayweather] fans.
"It should be easy to make as we're in the same team and everywhere I go people are saying you should fight him next."
Algieri will be having his first fight since losing to Filipino Manny Pacquiao for the WBO world welterweight title in November.
Pacquiao, 36, went on to fight Mayweather earlier this month in a long-awaited fight that was the richest in boxing history, making $500 million in revenue. Khan knows his performance against Algieri will be measured against Pacquiao's dominant points win over the American and there is no room for failure if he wants to meet WBC-WBA-WBO welterweight champion Mayweather in September.
"There will be comparisons between what I do and what Manny did against Algieri," Khan told ESPN. "Me and Manny have different styles, but mine will give him problems. He has never faced anyone like me when it comes to explosiveness, speed, movement, height, reach and power.
"There will be improvements. He has changed trainers and with John David Jackson who is very good. Manny put him down six times, but if I see him hurt then I will be trying to put him away.
"I am not going to put pressure on myself and say I will do better than Manny, but I am going to win convincingly.
"Algieri took some big shots against Ruslan Provodnikov and Manny. If he gets put down he can get back up so we know he has heart. I can't go in thinking if I hurt him early I can go for the kill. I just have to be careful and box smart."