Amir Khan to spar for Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines - Freddie Roach, wanting to give Manny Pacquiao the best training for his blockbuster fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. next year, has lined up a couple of topnotch fighters who will serve as the Filipino boxing icon’s sparring partners in his build-up for their March 13 duel.

Roach said he wants Amir Khan, the reigning WBA light-welterweight champion, as their main man in sparring, whether or not Pacquiao trains in Baguio City for a month or stays in Los Angeles the whole time.

Roach is also looking at Tim Bradley to be part of the training team.

Someone close to Pacquiao yesterday said he’d heard of plans for Pacquiao to skip Baguio and train at the Wild Card Gym in LA for seven weeks and move over to Las Vegas on the week of the fight.

“Other than Amir Khan as Pacquiao’s main sparring partner, I like to include Timothy Bradley in my list,” Roach told philboxing,com.


Khan, who won the silver medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics when he was just 17, is 5-feet-10 and can give Pacquiao a lot in sparring, while Bradley, the top contender at 140 lb, is 5’6” and has the orthodox stance of Mayweather.

Roach thinks these two boxers will be very instrumental as he prepares Pacquiao for the biggest fight of the decade.

“And I have the keys to break down Mayweather even in the earlier rounds. Mayweather will have no more excuses. We’ll catch him early, if not it’s going to be Pacquiao by unanimous decision,” Roach was quoted as saying.

“Pacquiao will strike on at unexpected angles that Mayweather will become frozen from taking too many shots.”

Meanwhile, except for the formal announcement, everything seems to be in place for Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao will stake his WBO welterweight title he won over Puerto Rican champion Miguel Cotto last month at 147 lb. Both boxers will use 8-ounce gloves, and have agreed to random drug testing in the weeks leading to the fight.

Bob Arum of Top Rank, for Pacquiao, and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy, for Mayweather, are expected to make an announcement on Monday regarding some fight details although the formal press conference takes place Jan. 6 in New York.

Reports said both fighters have agreed to an even 50-50 split and could end up with close to $40 million each in the bank after the fight, whatever happens, whoever wins.

Source: philstar.com