Amir Khan hopes of securing a mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather have been shattered after the undefeated American revealed that he had chosen Marcos Maidana as his next opponent on May 3.
Khan had long been campaigning to secure a bout with the pound-for-pound number one and it seemed he would finally have the chance when he won a public poll run by Mayweather to see who his next opponent should be.
Yet despite receiving some 57% of the votes it seems Mayweather has decided to ignore his own poll after confirming that it is Maidana who will have a shot at becoming a unified welterweight champion.
"Marcos Maidana's last performance immediately brought him to my attention," Mayweather told ESPN. "He is an extremely skilled fighter who brings knockout danger to the ring. I think this is a great fight for me and he deserves the opportunity to see if he can do what 45 others have tried to do before him — beat me."
Khan had revealed earlier in the week that he expected Maidana to be chosen and he reacted graciously to the news.
“Let’s just leave everything up to God. Hope you all having a good day. Gym time for me shortly. Speak later,” Khan tweeted.
The Briton will now have to assess his options as he looks to prove that he can be a major threat at 147lbs, despite having never fought at the weight and having failed to secure a bout since April last year
While it was devastating news for Khan, WBA welterweight champion Maidana revealed his delight at facing the five-division world champion.
"I am extremely happy to be facing Floyd Mayweather because it will give me the opportunity to show the world that I am the best welterweight in the division. I just handed a great defensive fighter [Adrien Broner] his first loss and I plan to do the same to Mayweather. I don't care whether he's the best and undefeated. I will bring some real Latino power to him on May 3rd,” Maidana declared.
While it is now back to the drawing board for Khan, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer made it clear that he still believes there is a big fight out there for the 27-year-old, and that if he should secure a bout with Mayweather in the future that he has the tools to win.
"I feel very disappointed for Amir. He is a terrific fighter," Schaefer said. "I think he has the necessary skill set to beat Floyd Mayweather because of his speed. Amir Khan will have a big fight. There are a lot of exciting opportunities in the 147-pound weight class. "If you would have a crystal ball, you would say he probably should have fought Devon Alexander. But even if he did, Maidana looked spectacular in his fight with Adrien Broner."
