• Inside Boxing

Amir Khan: I'm making serious sacrifices to seal superfight

Amir Khan tells ESPN he gets 'better coaching in the US and good sparring with elite fighters' © PA Photos

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Former world light-welterweight champion Amir Khan is preparing to take on American Devon Alexander in Las Vegas on December 13 and tells ESPN's Inside Boxing why victory will land him a huge fight against either Floyd Mayweather Jr or Manny Pacquiao:

It's all about winning this next fight against Devon Alexander and moving on to a superfight next year.

It could be against either Floyd Mayweather Jr or Manny Pacquiao. My promoter Golden Boy has mended things with Top Rank, who promote Pacquiao, and my name has been mentioned for the Pacquiao fight as well as for the Mayweather fight a few times.

I want to fight the top names and this is where I belong. I have to look good against Alexander in this fight and we can take it from there, but it's a good position to be in.

Both me and Mayweather are represented by manager Al Haymon and there have been talks for a long time. Now it's getting more serious and getting past this fight will secure a superfight for me. I need to look good as well as win. I'm topping the bill at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and not many fighters have the chance to do that in their careers.

The risk is losing the next fight and not getting the superfight against Mayweather or Pacquiao. If I get past this fight then Mayweather or Pacquiao will happen.

Pacquiao has a fight coming up and his opponent Chris Algieri's style suits him, but Pacquiao's last few performances have not been the best. He has been caught a bit and it might be tough for him this next one.

In his last four fights, Brandon Rios was made for Pacquiao and the Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez fights [he lost and won points decisions to Bradley and was knocked out in the sixth round by Marquez] took a lot out of him. He's getting older - he's 35 - and he's got a lot of distractions in his life now. He's staying in the Philippines to train now and you can see people are pulling him here, there and everywhere. He's also getting into politics.

I still favour more towards Manny and I think it will go the distance, but Algieri might surprise a few people with his performance.

Algieri seems a very genuine guy, family orientated and puts good punches together. It was a great win for him against Ruslan Provodnikov last time out and Pacquiao has to be on his A game. Pacquiao has more skills and speed to get the win.

There has been some talk about Mayweather and Pacquiao fighting next year, but I don't think it will ever happen now. Mayweather might want it now because it's an easier fight than it was four years ago. The relentlessness, power and explosiveness are all gone with Pacquiao and he's not like he used to be. The power he had when he knocked out the likes of Ricky Hatton, you don't see that now because he's boxing more than he used to.

I'm just focusing on Alexander right now. I'm training hard for it and that means I'm away from my family. My baby daughter, Lamysa, is at home and I'm in training camp in San Francisco. It's hard being away but it's great motivation because everything you do is for your children now and I want her to have a comfortable life. It's great motivation going into this fight. You want to achieve the biggest things in life and one day she can look back and read about what I did in boxing.

This is how serious I am about boxing: I'm leaving my new born baby to go into training camp. But these are the sacrifices you have to make to achieve things.

Canelo Saul Alvarez does the same, Oscar De La Hoya did it as well. You have to get away from your comfort zone. If you are superstar and based where you are from you get distractions and it doesn't help when you are preparing for a fight. No disrespect to the UK, but I also get better coaching in the States and good sparring with elite fighters.

When I'm away I get to go to bed on time, I'll get enough sleep and won't be woken by the baby, and I get the proper amount of rest, which is important. I don't have to do nappies!

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd