"We are looking at December 7 for my next fight and looking at opponents," stated former jr. welterweight champion Amir Khan, who recently revelaed that he's considering others opponents for his anticipated return to the ring this December. Up until this point, many assumed that a potential clash between Khan and IBF welterweight champion Devon Alexander was a given considering that it was Khan himself who wanted and asked for the fight. Furthermore, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer recently traveled to Dubai to meet with investors, who were reportedly interested in staging the event. That, however, was nearly two weeks ago, and so far, there's been no word from Schaefer on whether or not Dubai is still in the running to host the fight. Now, it appears that plans are changing for Khan, whose team has long been hoping to secure a mega-fight with undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather.
"I have tried to get Devon Alexander. It was looking promising. He said he wanted to fight at the start and now it slowly seems that he is not 100 percent sure about it, coming up with excuses...Even if it's not in Dubai, I will fight him in America, I will fight him wherever," Khan explained in a recent interview with Sky Sports, questioning Alexander's desire to fight. "It's all about moving to that big fight against Floyd Mayweather...Hopefully getting this win against Alexander will get me into that fight," he continued.
For whatever reason, Khan is of the opinion that Alexander is unwilling to face him, despite the fact that Alexander's trainer, Kevin Cunnigham, has repeatedly stated that they're more than willing to give him a shot at the title any time and any place, including Dubai, provided the money is right. It seems odd, however, that Khan would question Alexander's desire to face him when, thus far, negotiations have yet to even begin for the bout. As previously stated, Richard Schaefer has been in Dubai for the past two weeks to assess the feasibility of even staging the bout there. Furthermore, just this past Wednesday, Cunningham reiterated their desire for the fight even though they had yet to receive any word from adviser Al Haymon, or Schaefer for that matter, regarding the status.
"I haven't heard anything. I haven't spoken to Al [Haymon] recently about that particular fight, but it's a fight that Devon wants. He definitely wants to fight Amir Khan. It's a fight that Amir Khan is telling everybody that he wants. You know, if Al and Richard want to make that fight happen, it's gonna happen, and I got a good feeling that the fight will take place," Cunningham explained during his appearance on FightHype Radio. "He [Khan] wants a shot at the title and Devon's ready to oblige him. We're just waiting on Al to get back to us and we're ready."
Given Cunnigham's statements, it appears that Khan is receiving bad information regarding a potential clash with Alexander. Either that or Team Khan is simply making it appear as though Team Alexander doesn't want the fight while they themselves explore other options. Word on the street is that, assuming all goes well on September 14, Khan could be next in line to face Floyd Mayweather. After his less-than-stellar performance against Julio Diaz in his last bout, there were whispers that Khan's team was looking for a "soft touch" who will allow him to better showcase his talents. In fact, just yesterday, FightHype.com received word that future Hall of Famer Shane Mosley was one of the names under consideration for the December 7 bout. When we reached out to Khan regarding that news, he simply replied, "No bro; first I've heard."
Either way, with no word yet from Richard Schaefer on how things are progressing in Dubai, it looks like no news could be bad news for a potential Alexander vs. Khan showdown. Be sure to check back soon for more details as this story unfolds.
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