• Boxing

Pacquiao and Khan put pressure on Mayweather

Manny Pacquiao says he is close to agreeing a fight with Floyd Mayweather © AP

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Amir Khan has told Floyd Mayweather Jr he has until the end of the week to agree to face him, but Manny Pacquiao claims he is close to securing a long-awaited fight with the undefeated American.

Having been snubbed by Mayweather last year, Khan had been confident of securing a showdown with the pound-for-pound king in 2015 after his dominant win over Devon Alexander in Las Vegas in December.

However, Khan could be left out in the cold once again. He told the Daily Mail: "I want to fight in May and I want the Mayweather fight but it's not getting any closer.

Amir Khan secured a dominant victory over Devon Alexander last month © Getty Images

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"I've answered all the things Mayweather wanted me to do. He wanted me to fight at welterweight, I did that; he wanted to do a vote [to see who he would fight], I won the vote; he wanted me to beat a top guy in the division and I gave Devon Alexander a beating he'd never had before.

"There is a lot of money in a fight with me, not just in America, but he's trying to avoid me. He's avoiding two names in boxing, Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan.

"Mayweather wants to keep his '0', he doesn't want to take the big fights. If he's not fighting the top guys but is fighting guys who are over the hill or not at their peak, he's going to be undefeated.

"One thing about me is I've fought guys at their peak and who have been dangerous. I didn't have to fight them but I did. Losing doesn't make you a bad fighter, losing shows how good you are if you come back from those losses.

"It's a waiting game, I've given his team five days. I need to know this week because I need to start training."

Pacquiao, though, is confident that Mayweather will give him, and not Khan, the nod.

Pacquiao called out Mayweather after his victory over Chris Algieri © Getty Images

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Mayweather called the Filipino out last month and, ever since, Pacquiao has consistently tried to bait his rival into a fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas that would be worth at least $300 million (£197m).

"We will make an announcement before the end if the month. I think it will happen," Pacquiao told the Manilla Standard.

Should the American snub him again, Khan says he will turn his attentions to Pacquiao or British rival Kell Brook, who is set for his first title defence in March after recovering from being stabbed while on holiday in Tenerife last August.

"If Mayweather doesn't take the fight then maybe the Pacquiao fight will be more interesting for me," Khan said.

"We've sparred and trained together, we are friends and it would be a good fight. I have youth on my side and I'm a smart fighter. I've improved since I've been with my new trainer but Manny is the same fighter he was five years ago.

"The thing with Kell Brook is that he hasn't fought since he was stabbed. He wants to have a warm-up fight then have a big one.

"I don't think it will happen soon but it could happen towards the end of the year. It's a fight that interests me."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd