- Boston Celtics valt door de mand, Miami Heat in NBA-finale tegen Denver Nuggets
- Mourinho en AS Roma kunnen Ajax grote dienst bewijzen
- Bayern strikt Rummenigge (67) voor opmerkelijke terugkeer
- Edwin van der Sar stopt bij Ajax: ’Ik ben op’
- De SARK herkiest haar eerste vrouwelijke voorzitter op de Jaarvergadering 2023
- Volgende rel op Roland Garros: politiek statement komt Djokovic mogelijk duur te staan
- River Plate baart opzien met opvallend detail in standbeeld clubicoon
- Nieuwe puntenstraf blijft Juventus bespaard, maar wel boete
- ‘Real Madrid pikt nieuwe spits op bij La Liga-degradant’
- Xavi: ‘Ik heb Messi gesproken over een terugkeer, de bal ligt nu bij hem’
Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor: Amir Khan says boxing needs UFC momentum
- Geplaats op: 7 juli, 2017 9:50 am
Floyd Mayweather’s bout with UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor will benefit boxing, says Amir Khan.
Former five-division champion Mayweather, 40, takes on McGregor in a boxing match in Las Vegas on 26 August.
The contest has drawn criticism from middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin, among others.
“To combine both sports is going to be great for boxing more than MMA,” said Britain’s former light-welterweight world champion Khan, 30.
“We are not getting the good pay-per-view numbers we used to.
“At the moment, MMA and UFC is doing so many great numbers on TV, on pay-per-view. Boxing is doing OK but it took little bit of a dip.
“We hit a wall and we didn’t really do anything. Boxing never moved forward around the world, whereas MMA kept moving forward and got bigger and bigger and bigger.
“Boxing kind of stalled in my opinion and we needed something like this.”
Both fighters will reportedly earn around $100m (£77m) from the match, which will take place in Las Vegas.
Mayweather will end a spell of retirement as he bids to extend his 49-match unbeaten record against 28-year-old McGregor, who has never boxed professionally.
Khan, who last fought when beaten by Saul Alvarez in May 2016, has been unsuccessful in attempts to secure a fight with Mayweather, but still hopes to face the American or former eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao.
“When Mayweather beats McGregor, which I think he will, that fight can still be there. It really can happen,” said Khan, who has 31 wins from 35 fights.
“There are still some big fights out there for me.”
bbc.com
