• Boxing

Hearn casts doubt on Khan-Brook summer bout

Amir Khan may be left in No Man's Land should Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao agree to fight each other © Getty Images

Enlarge

Promoter Eddie Hearn doubts Amir Khan will agree to fight Kell Brook this summer even if he misses out on fighting either Floyd Mayweather Jr or Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather and Pacquiao are deep in talks about fighting each other in Las Vegas on May 2, with an announcement possibly within a week to confirm the fight that will make at least $250 million (£165m)

Should boxing's biggest fight be made, Khan would then be left searching for an opponent in May or early June. Hearn has been urging him to fight Sheffield's IBF world welterweight champion Kell Brook, who makes a first defence of his IBF belt against Canadian Jo Jo Dan in Sheffield on March 28.

"Amir is right to try and get a fight with Floyd Mayweather, it's the biggest one out there for him and I understand that, but now it looks like he's not going to get it and he won't be able to fight him in September either because [of the Muslim religious month] of Ramadan," Hearn told ESPN.

"We were looking at Wembley in June but the problem with Khan is I'm not sure he can do that because of Ramadan [which starts on June 18]. He will have to fight in May or early June but I'm not sure Kell can do that because he's fighting on March 28."

"I'm not too optimistic. We are now turning our attention to Juan Manuel Marquez, who we are talking to this week in London, Marcos Maidana and Bradley because we want Kell Brook in a pay per view event this summer, June or July, at Bramall Lane.

"It could happen later in the year but that would rule out the chance of doing it at somewhere like Wembley and you would have to do it at the Manchester Arena with 20,000 instead."

Hearn believes there is more chance of Belfast's IBF super-bantamweight champion Carl Frampton, promoted by Barry McGuigan, and Manchester's WBA interim title-holder Scott Quigg meeting this summer.

"Of Khan-Brook, DeGale-Groves and Frampton-Quigg I think you will see one of them happening this year, maybe two, but delusion will play a big part in whether the fights get made," Hearn said.

"I think Frampton-Quigg will get made for the summer, and maybe DeGale-Groves."

Hearn expects Londoner James DeGale to fight for the IBF world super-middleweight title, possibly against American Andre Dirrell, at the O2 Arena on April 25 after Nottingham's Carl Froch vacates the belt.

For the full story, see Inside Boxing

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd