• Welterweight

Khan urges Pac-Man to consider retiring

Is Manny Pacquiao's busy schedule catching up with him? © Getty Images

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Amir Khan has sparked fears of a rift with stablemate Manny Pacquiao by claiming the Filipino would lose to pound-for-pound rival Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao has come in for criticism following a less-than-convincing majority decision victory over Juan Manuel Marquez at the weekend, with many questioning whether the eight-time world champion is no longer at the peak of his powers.

May 5 has been earmarked as the date Mayweather will return to action, with Pacquiao his expected opponent. However, that mega-fight might not materialise as Mayweather may now deem the showdown to be less lucrative following Pacquiao's unimpressive performance, possibly paving the way for Khan to jump the queue and challenge the unbeaten American.

Last month Khan let slip that his relationship with Pacquiao was becoming strained - so much so that members of Pacquiao's camp had banned the Brit from sparring with their man - and the Bolton-born fighter has now risked adding more fuel to the fire by revealing he believes Mayweather would get the better of his good friend should they meet in the ring.

"On the strength of this performance, he wouldn't beat Floyd Mayweather Jr," Khan told the Daily Telegraph. "For his sake, we have to be honest. He is my friend."

Khan is worried Pacquiao's busy schedule outside of the ring - he is a congressman in his native Philippines - is taking its toll, and has urged the 32-year-old to consider calling time on his illustrious career.

"I'm going to tell Manny to consider retirement and not go on too long," he said. "He has some serious thinking to do - he was lucky and he got away with it against Marquez.

"Manny did [win it], but he doesn't have to keep taking these fights. He has so much on his plate. The more he fights, the more it might take some of the gloss off his great legacy as the best fighter in the world."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.