Amir Khan might be setting up a backup plan if he can't get a Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight this fall by making comments publicly about Manny Pacquiao, the second-biggest star in the welterweight division. Khan is believed to be the frontrunner for Mayweather's next-and possibly final-fight, but Mayweather himself has given no hints that he's interested in facing Khan.

In fact, Mayweather has insisted he's going to choose between Andre Berto and Karim Mayfield for his bout in September.

Khan may have detractors, but he is held in much higher regard than either of those fighters. Khan has won all three of his fights at 147 pounds, but may have hurt his stock in his latest win over Chris Algieri; the fight was supposed to be a showcase for him, but instead he was taken the distance in a gritty unanimous decision win.

"Floyd is clearly avoiding me; that's the fight I want, I've proved myself in the welterweight division, so I don't know what more to do," Khan said.

Before Pacquiao agreed to fight Mayweather in May Khan was pursuing a fight against both of them. Rumors recently surfaced that Khan and Pacquiao's camps were in talks again, but Khan has denied that and hinted Pacquiao is avoiding him just like Mayweather.

"If Manny mans up and wants to take the fight then it will happen, but the only fight I am interested in right now is Floyd Mayweather," Khan said. "It's all rumours and speculation, I've not spoken to Manny about a fight in Dubai and neither did our camps, so it's untrue.

"Look, if Manny wants to fight, we can do it, I've offered him and his team in the past, but they turned us down."

Pacquiao is currently rehabbing a torn labrum he's said to have suffered while training to fight Mayweather, and is slated to return to the ring sometime next year.

[Daily Mail]