Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. appear closer than ever to making a super fight happen, dashing the hopes of British fighter Amir Khan, who was pushing for a clash with Pacquiao in the U.K. or Dubai.
Khan has rebounded from some crushing losses to win three straight fights, the last two in convincing fashion at welterweight. He is ready for elite tests, but none are available at this time for him. In any event, he must remain active to keep his momentum going.
Here are the Top 5 fights he can make assuming Pacquiao and Mayweather are headed for war on May 2.
Marcos Maidana (35-5-0, 31 KO)
Maidana's got a high profile now after two fights with Mayweather, one of which was supremely competitive, and he always puts on a show. They fought in 2010, which Khan won by unanimous decision, but both are different fighters now.
Each man has a bigger following than they did in the past, and this could be a major headliner in the U.K. While Maidana did up his standing in the general fan's consciousness by facing Mayweather, he lost both times. Khan remains the A-side here, fights someone fans respect, and puts himself in better position for a Floyd bout down the line.
Timothy Bradley (31-1-1, 12 KO)
Ignore his recent draw vs. Diego Chaves-the scoring was laughable, and Bradley should have won comfortably. Bradley is one of the slickest fighters in the game, but he is not averse to slugging it out despite a lack of top-notch punching power.
Khan's chin has been questioned, so Bradley may be enticed to brawl and go for the KO. He also poses a threat to Khan with his defensive ability. The number of directions this fight can go makes it appealing, as do the stakes for both men. They're each fighting to remain in striking distance of major title shots so this could serve as a sort-of eliminator bout.
Brandon Rios (33-2-1, 24 KO)
Rios looked downright scary in his beatdown of Mike Alvarado on Saturday, closing their trilogy with a bang. Rios declared he was fully dedicated to boxing again, and he was in prime form.
He relentlessly battered Alvarado, throwing caution to the wind and overwhelming him with volume. That's how Rios has always fought, and bringing that aggression to a fight with the similarly offensive Khan could make for fireworks.
If Khan could withstand Rios' pressure and power, it would put to rest many of the lingering questions about his chin.
Juan Manuel Marquez (56-7-1, 40 KO)
Marquez hasn't fought since wiping out Alvarado last May, and doesn't have a clear future. At 41 years old, with his defining rivalry against Manny Pacquiao closed with a knockout victory, retirement is in play. But everyone likes money, and a fight with Khan, especially one in England, would net Marquez a boatload.
Not only that, it wouldn't just be a money grab. Marquez can still really fight, and his counter punching would make for a stylistically intriguing fight against the offensive-minded Khan.
Lucas Matthysse (36-3-0, 34 KO)
This is a long shot, since Matthysse is the No. 2 man in the junior welterweight division and he's still eyeballing titles there. He is planning to move up at some point though, and if a major opportunity like Khan presented itself, he may just jump at it instead of waiting for a rematch with Danny Garcia.
Matthysse is the most lethal knockout artist in this group of fighters, and he's arguably the most popular among hardcore boxing fans. With his fighting style and KO numbers, he's an easy opponent to hype up and get casual fans excited about.
Why no Kell Brook? We didn't forget about the other popular British welterweight holding a major belt. He is locked into a March bout vs. Jo-Jo Dan, the No. 1 contender for the IBF title. Unfortunate.
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