Floyd, not Manny, in Amir's sights

Former WBA/IBF superlightweight champion Amir Khan will never face Manny Pacquiao in the ring because “they’re very good friends and use the same trainers,” according to the English fighter’s uncle Tahir who said the realistic target is Floyd Mayweather Jr. next year.

“Maybe after one or two more fights, Amir will move up (in weight) but he’ll never fight Manny,” said Tahir who is now in Khan’s Baguio City camp. “Mayweather is more realistic if Amir continues winning and the fight could happen in 2013.”

Tahir is the younger brother of Khan’s father Shah and manages the fighter’s career. A computer whiz, he is a graduate of the University of Hertfordshire in electronic and electrical engineering.

Khan is on his third trip to the Philippines to join Pacquiao in camp. While Pacquiao is preparing for his June 9 bout against Timothy Bradley, Khan is getting ready for his rematch with Lamont Peterson in Las Vegas on May 19. The Khan party leaves Manila for Los Angeles on May 2 then travels to Las Vegas a week before the Peterson fight.

Last December, Khan lost the WBA/IBF 140-pound belts to Peterson on a highly controversial split 12-round decision in Washington, D. C. He was docked two points by referee Joseph Cooper and the two judges who scored it for Peterson had a winning margin of only a point. Khan floored Peterson in the first round. Khan protested the verdict and was granted an immediate rematch.

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 “Amir learned a lot from the first fight and he’ll be looking at his mistakes very carefully and making sure he doesn’t make them again,” said Tahir. “He learned a lot more about Peterson and what he can do and can’t do.” Peterson, 28, has lost only once in his career – to Pacquiao’s next opponent Bradley on a unanimous decision in 2009.

Peterson is one of only two fighters who’ve beaten Khan. The other is Colombian Breidis Prescott who scored a first round knockout shocker in 2008. “Of course, Amir would have a rematch (against Prescott) but the only thing stopping this is Prescott’s recent performances as he is not doing very well,” said Tahir. “He needs some good wins or even a world title and the fight would be huge.” Khan rebounded from the defeat to Prescott by scoring eight wins in a row before running into Peterson.

Khan, 25, settled for the silver medal, losing a 30-22 decision to Cuba’s Mario Kindelan in the 2004 Athens Olympics lightweight finals. But he captured the imagination of the world as a 17-year-old wunderkind in bowling over four opponents – Greece’s Marios Kaperonis, Bulgaria’s Dimitar Shtilianov, Korea’s Jong Sub Baik and Kazakhstan’s Serik Yeleuov – on the way to the showdown with the veteran Kindelan. Before turning pro in 2005, Khan battled Kindelan in a much-publicized grudge rematch and won on points to avenge his Olympic setback. The 5-10 Khan now has a pro record of 26-2, with 18 KOs. He is determined to pay Peterson back like he did to Kindelan and regain the WBA/IBF titles.

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“Amir loves the Philippines,” said Tahir. “The people are amazing. They make you feel at home and he enjoys the weather which also helps him in training as he has to make weight.”

Khan has posted impressive wins over Paul Malignaggi, Marcos Maidana and Marco Antonio Barrera but Tahir said his best performance was the disposal of Zab Judah last year. “Amir didn’t make one mistake and he was so focused and prepared as he knew how dangerous Judah can be,” he said. “The fight lasted five rounds. His toughest opponent was Maidana even after putting him down in the first round, he just kept coming, throwing bombs all the way ‘til the 12th round.”

A devout Muslim, Khan said his religion gives him strength and influences everything he does. “I believe my faith is as important in my success as my talent as a boxer,” said Khan in his book “A Boy from Bolton: My Story.” “A lot of people say the two don’t go together. If Islam says violence is wrong, how can you box? That’s not how I see it. Boxing is a sport. It has rules. It teaches discipline and respect. In that way, learning how to box went hand in hand with learning the Koran. Learning the Arabic way of praying was tough. You had to sacrifice your time. It taught me discipline. It gave me a different outlook on life. All those things helped me with my boxing, growing up – sacrifice, discipline, respect. To get on at the mosque and do well with your learning, and in the ring, you have to be dedicated.”