Khan accepts Berto is likely to be Mayweather's final opponent

Andy Lewis 06:15 16/07/2015
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  • Lucky candidate: Berto.

    Amir Khan appears to have given hope of landing a shot at Floyd Mayweather with the American pound-for-pound No 1 set to announce Andre Berto as his next opponent.

    Mayweather has returned to training ahead of a scheduled outing on September 12 but is yet to name his opponent.

    Khan has been calling out Mayweather for two years and at times has come close to landing the big fight. Even as recently as Monday he told Sport360 that he had “heard one or two things” that kept his hopes alive.

    But various reports on Wednesday suggested Mayweather has picked Berto who, in a bitter irony for Khan, trains alongside him under Virgil Hunter.

    The disappointed Brit then confirmed as much on Twitter, as he posted: “Heard it’s Berto. Good luck to my boy Berto, he’s a good kid regardless.”

    Berto (30-3, 23kos) was considered a top prospect until his career unravelled with a series of damaging losses. The 31-year-old former WBC welterweight champion dropped decisions to Victor Ortiz and Robert Guerrero – both easily beaten by Mayweather – before being stopped by journeyman Jesus Soto Karass in the 12th round last March.

    He’s won twice since then but it’s hard to make any sort of case for him deserving a shot at Mayweather – although Hunter is still trying his best.

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    “Once [Berto] gets your rhythm, once he’s allowed to fight at his pace, the conditioning that he has now and the knowledge, he could pretty well get you out at any moment from that point on,” the veteran cornerman told Boxing News.

    “He can punch with both hands and he’s fast. He’s a better boxer than people give him credit for. Anybody on any given night can be beat. It’s just that the other fighter has to have the attributes to do it. You have to be able to fight over your head because Floyd is a master of controlling range and distance.”

    Mayweather’s September 12 boutees him fulfil his contractual obligations with broadcaster Showtime, and if reports are correct they will show it on CBS, their free-to-air channel.

    The fight will be marketed as being a gift to the fans in a way of countering some of the negativity surrounding Mayweather’s choice of opponent.

    The 38-year-old, who has repeatedly said this will be his last fight, has fought exclusively on pay-perview since 2005. For Khan it is a case of back to the drawing board and inevitably a long conversation with advisor Al Haymon.

    That could lead to an outing on a Premier Boxing Champions show in November or December with the likes of Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter or even Adrien Broner potential opponents.

    He remains unequivocal he won’t fight IBF welterweight champion and British rival Kell Brook.

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