Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao and Amir “King” Khan are two of the biggest names in the boxing world and the two could generate millions if they decide to fight in Saudi Arabia or UAE (United Arab Emirates).
Pacquiao is one of the most humble men in sport. He is also a politician in the Philippines and fights for the people of the country. The southpaw dynamo is also one of the most accomplished boxers in history with multiple titles in 8 weight divisions in his 25 years in boxing.
At 41, he is the oldest champion in welterweight history and he proved that he can still compete with the best when he brutalized 10 years younger, Keith “One Time” Thurman, dropping him in the first round and hurting him to the body in round 10, cruising to a split decision victory for the WBA welterweight title in July of 2019.
Khan, 33, is a former light welterweight champion and Olympic silver medalist for Great Britain and his dream was always to win another world title at 147-pounds. If he faces Pacquiao who he considers a friend, he will get a chance at a legit welterweight title and to add a legendary fighter to his win column would help him make a stronger case for the hall of fame.
Khan and Pacquiao used to train together under American trainer Freddie Roach. Alex Ariza, who was the strength and conditioning coach at Wild Card boxing club at the time, witnessed sparring sessions between the two and said Khan was able to hold his own against Pacquiao and even got the better of him at times.
Ariza was kicked out of Wild Card and the longtime strength and conditioning coach who was credited for bringing Pacquiao up multiple weights eventually was fired by Khan as well.
After several years apart, Khan recently reunited with Alex Ariza for his fight against Billy Dib in Saudi Arabia. The fight took place on July 12, 2019 and Khan delivered one of the most dominant performances of his career stopping Dib in the fourth round.
Ariza was able to get Khan back into fighting condition. It looked like the Khan of old and could be the key to help get the Bolton boxer back into top form to make a run at another world title.
Pacquiao and Khan could fight in June or July because Khan a devout Pakistani Muslim has Ramadan from April 24 to May 24, and he will be able to fight at the end of June or in July.
Anthony Joshua recently fought in Saudi Arabia when he reclaimed his heavyweight titles by outboxing Andy Ruiz Jr. to a points decision in a rematch. AJ received a massive payday and other boxers could follow suit by fighting in Saudi Arabia.
I believe Pacquiao would be willing to fight in the Middle East since he has visited there in the past and has a strong fan following in area. A lot of Filipinos work and live in Saudi Arabia and Dubai as well.
If the two boxing titans square off it will generate millions and this would also be a great fan friendly fight with both guys known for their handspeed and offensive style. It is one of those events where you can say the fans win because it will be guaranteed excitement given their styles.
It is a realistic option for Manny Pacquiao and his team to consider because a Khan fight will provide a bigger financial incentive than the likes of Errol Spence Jr, Danny Garcia or Shawn Porter.
Muki is a long time boxing fan and enjoys Mixed Martial Arts. He has been writing boxing articles since he was a teen and his favorite fighters of the past are Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Prince Naseem Hamed. Favorite MMA fighters are Khabib Nurmagomedov, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko.