• Boxing

Khan-Mayweather fight moves even closer

ESPN staff
July 27, 2011
Amir Khan beat Zab Judah inside six rounds to claim the IBF light-welterweight strap © Getty Images
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WBA and IBF light-welterweight champion Amir Khan has agreed to meet Floyd Mayweather Jnr's drug-testing demands ahead of a potential super-fight between the two in 2012.

Mayweather's sampling requirements put paid to his eagerly-anticipated clash with Manny Pacquiao - but Khan, who trains alongside Pacquiao at trainer Freddie Roach's celebrated Wildcard gym, is willing to co-operate.

"I am a clean fighter - I get drug-tested in between, before and after fights," Khan said. "Whatever test he wants me to do, I'm happy to do it. When you see a fighter being very successful, I think people just want to put the fighter down and I think they were doing that by saying I was on steroids.

"I've never taken drugs in my life and never will, so that is why I am so keen on taking a test. I think they just want to break down fighters and get right into their heads. With me, it just doesn't work - I've been in the game getting drug tested since I was an Olympic athlete, so I don't think it will ever affect me.

"It gets petty when they talk about things like that, but Freddie and I are happy for me to take a drug test whenever."

Meanwhile, Khan has called for WBO and WBC champion Timothy Bradley to be stripped of his belts if he refuses a fight for the second time. The Brit offered a unification bout to his American rival earlier this year, only to see it spurned. As a result, Khan found himself up against Zab Judah last weekend, a fight that he won in some style, forcing a fifth-round stoppage in Las Vegas.

"I don't think the fight against Bradley will happen because I think he is scared to take it on," Khan said. "He knows that he will get beaten, and where does he go from there? There are other big fights out there for me. In the future we will look at Mayweather, but there is also Erik Morales, or the winner of Marcos Maidana against Robert Guerrero.

"There are still a few names in the 140-pound division and I think I have one more fight in the division before moving up to 147 pounds where the bigger challenges are. The undisputed unified champion is something I've always wanted to be, but if the Bradley fight doesn't happen, then at least the world will know I wanted the fight and he pulled out.

"He was just running scared. I really think the organisations should strip him of the two titles he has at the moment and maybe vacate them for the next opponent I face, because then at least that gives another fighter the option to fight for a world title."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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