MANILA, Philippines – If it were solely up to him, Bob Arum would rule out a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan.
In a recent interview with Dan Rafael of ESPN.com, Arum though said Khan is still in the mix as a possible opponent for Pacquiao next year. The British fighter joins Terence Crawford and Timothy Bradley in hoping for a date with the Filipino icon.
It’s safe to say that Arum prefers either Crawford or Bradley for Pacquiao, as the two Americans are under Top Rank Inc.
But, of course, Pacquiao will have the final say.
“I purposely kept myself out of it because at this point it doesn’t matter who Manny picks,” said Arum, adding that Pacquiao is guaranteed a purse of $20 million whoever he chooses to fight next.
The fighting congressman is expected to soon name his opponent for what’s reportedly his final fight in April next year. He’s been given tapes of Crawford and Bradley to study and help him come up with a decision.
Arum is hoping his ward bypasses Khan.
“Would I prefer it not to be Khan? Yes, but this is Manny’s last fight. I have a duty to him to present him all of the options. Do I hope he doesn’t pick Khan though? Of course [because I don’t promote him], but I don’t think he will pick Khan,” the veteran promoter said.
Arum added that his preference for Khan dwindled once the Middle East was ruled out as a venue for Pacquiao’s final bout.
“Khan was an option when we considered having this fight in April in the Middle East, so he was a guy on the table. Now the Middle East is not on the table, but he’s still one of the guys on the table,” he also said.
It’s all up to Pacquiao.