Floyd Mayweather Next Fight Update: Amir Khan Not in Same Class as Mayweather, Analyst Says
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith remained firm on his stance that Amir Khan doesn't deserve a fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., who is reportedly considering facing the Briton in his next fight.
Mayweather recently blasted Smith for his comment on the pound-for-pound king's plan to face Khan. The ESPN host said that Mayweather should prove that he is not avoiding Pacquiao by agreeing to fight the Filipino boxing icon.
Despite Mayweather's tirade against him, Smith reiterated that Khan will be an easy opponent for the unbeaten champion, saying that the Bolton, England native is not in the same class as Mayweather.
"Amir Khan is not in Floyd Mayweather's class," Smith said on First Take via Tha Boxing Voice. "He didn't pay the dues that Floyd Mayweather paid. He doesn't have a flawless record, displayed by Danny Garcia beating him to a pulp with a TKO victory in four rounds just a couple of years back."
Smith pointed out that Mayweather has been saying all along that he is fighting for the fans. And if he really wants to please the fans, Smith reiterated that the 37-year-old champion should face Manny Pacquiao because it is the fight boxing fans who have been calling for over the past several years.
"You know how great I think he is as a boxer. I think he is the best on the planet and I stand by that," Smith said. "I'm going to be a man about this because somebody needs to. Here's the bottom line: Floyd Mayweather Jr. continues to tell the public that he wants to give the fans what we want to see. My response is people have been asking for Pacquiao for years."
But if the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight will not be finalized because of different reasons, Smith said that Floyd Jr. should go up against Miguel Cotto or Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in a rematch because both fighters have improved significantly over the past several months.
"Miguel Cotto is an elite fighter especially since now he is training with Freddie Roach. You go that route, nobody can knock you for that," Smith said. "Canelo Alvarez, despite the fact that you're Floyd and you schooled him and picked him apart, this dude is a young lion. He's big time. Some would think he is worthy of a rematch because he may have learned from that experience."
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