Sports
Amir Khan predicts Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2: “He’s winning this one”
Amir Khan targeted blockbuster fights with both Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao during his career, and has now offered a prediction for their rematch on September 19.
It was announced last week that the two pound-for-pound legends will square off at the Sphere, Las Vegas, with their professional contest being streamed live on Netflix.
Their first encounter, back in 2015, saw Mayweather claim a convincing points victory, coming away with the WBC, WBO and WBA world welterweight titles.
Since then, though, the Hall of Famer has amassed just two professional wins – against Andre Berto and Conor McGregor – while also being involved in several exhibition matches.
Pacquiao, too, has kept himself ticking over with the odd exhibition, but also fought professionally when he tied with Mario Barrios, the then-WBC welterweight champion, in July.
This came after a near four-year hiatus from the professional ring, with his previous title fight resulting in a unanimous points defeat to Yordenis Ugas.
It is the 47-year-old’s apparent lifestyle choices, though, that have largely inspired Khan to give him the edge over Mayweather in their rematch.
Sharing his opinion on Facebook, the former world champion highlighted Pacquiao’s consistency in the gym as a significant factor against his 49-year-old opponent.
“I like Manny Pacquiao in the second one, because I think Mayweather’s slowing down a little bit.
“Age catches up on you, and I think with Manny always looking in good shape – obviously he’s not partying, not drinking; Mayweather’s always partying, chilling, enjoying himself – I think there’s a different way of living for both fighters.
“Mayweather’s still like a 20-year-old kid, whereas Manny Pacquiao’s very intelligent and he’s on the right path.
“I’ve got Manny Pacquiao winning that fight. But who knows? Mayweather always ends up pulling it off. But I feel that Manny Pacquiao [is] the favourite.”
While Mayweather was always known for his tremendous discipline and work ethic, the lack of a professional contest since 2017 could have a bearing on his overall performance against Pacquiao.
Many would argue, too, that his 10th-round stoppage victory over McGregor hardly merited the status of a professional bout.