by James Slater – British lightweight talent Amir Khan has added his name to the slowly but surely growing list of people who feel Manny Pacquiao has a very good chance of causing the upset against the much bigger Oscar De La Hoya next month. The Olympic silver medallist joins Julio Cesar Chavez Junior as the latest boxer to give “Pac-Man” a shot against “The Golden Boy.” After his rematch win over Matt Vanda Saturday, Chavez Junior let it be known he feels the Filipino has a good chance on December 6th. Now, Khan, who has been sparring with Pacquiao in Freddie Roach’s Los Angeles gym, has come out and said the same.
“Manny’s in great shape – very explosive, very fast, you don’t know where his punches are coming from,” Khan told The L.A Times. “He’s got a good chance to beat Oscar. I’m very quick, with a good jab like Oscar, and I’m taller than Manny, like Oscar. It’ll make Manny think about what’s coming.
“Manny’s so sharp and quick. Speed is power. Manny’s got a good chin to handle what Oscar throws at him. He’ll just be too explosive for Oscar, and he’s a big puncher himself..”
It really is quite astonishing that more and more “experts” are giving Pacquiao a legitimate shot against a man who has boxed as high as middleweight whereas Manny himself began his pro career down at 106 pounds. But Khan makes a lot of sense with what he says, and he knows of what he speaks, having actually sparred with “Pac-Man.”
Then again, perhaps Amir is guilty of being a little bit biased. After all, he now shares trainers with Pacquiao and a bond may well have formed between the two fighters. Also, many boxers are known for being terrible when it comes to predicting the outcome of bouts that involve other fighters. Still, according to at least a fair number of people in the know, December 6th’s huge welterweight showdown is no longer seen as the gross mismatch it was looked upon as being when first being announced.
The bad news for Khan, though, is that he will not be on the big Las Vegas card, and will therefore have his first comeback fight without new trainer Roach in his corner. Khan instead will box in London on December 6th, and will have Dean Powell as his main corner-man for his return bout, which will be against tough Irishman Oisin Fagan.