“Manny Pacquiao won’t fight me,” says former world champion Amir Khan as he eyes comeback fight

Former unified world champion Amir Khan is eyeing a return to the boxing ring, nearly three years after announcing his retirement. The 36-year-old British boxer, who previously held titles under the WBA, IBF, and WBC at light-welterweight and welterweight, has revealed that talks are ongoing with Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao for a potential showdown.

Khan stepped away from the sport in 2022 following a TKO loss to long-time rival Kell Brook at Manchester’s AO Arena. Shortly after, it was revealed that he was serving a two-year suspension for testing positive for ostarine, a banned substance known for its muscle-enhancing properties.

Despite these setbacks, Khan says he’s motivated to lace up the gloves once more. In the past, he has reiterated how keen he is to face his former sparring partner and eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao in his comeback fight.

In a recent media interview, the 38-year-old confirmed that while he still desires to fight the Filipino legend, he believes Pacquiao is unlikely to accept the challenge.

“There is always a possibility, but I don’t think Manny would take it. Stylistically, it is a bad fight for him. At the same time, we spoke about fighting each other, but I have stopped thinking about it now and I don’t think it will ever happen. I’ve been there and done it, and I’ve been at the peak of my career—I’m no longer at the peak. I can enjoy life now. I know what you mean about returning for a title shot, but I would need to do a mini camp first and see if I still have it in me, because I don’t want to go in there and make a fool of myself,” Khan stated.

Pacquiao, for his part, is making a return to boxing after a four-year hiatus and will face World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion Mario Barrios for the title on July 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Age is just a number. I didn’t come here for respect, I came to earn it the hard way on JULY 19! 👊🏽

🥊 #PacquiaoBarrios
📅 July 19
▶️ PBC PPV on @PrimeVideo
📍 MGM Grand Garden Arena pic.twitter.com/S7Yrq0h7WP

— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) July 3, 2025

This will be Pacquiao’s first professional fight since losing by unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in August 2021 for the WBA super welterweight title. That title had been stripped from Pacquiao due to inactivity, and since then, he has only participated in exhibition bouts around the world.

“I have sparred with both guys, and I sparred with Mario Barrios when he used to be with Virgil Hunter. Barrios is a very, very good fighter. He’s a very keen boxer—he doesn’t do anything messy—and for Manny to come back and pick a fight like this, I think, is ideal for a great comeback fight at his age.

The reason I’m saying that is because Barrios is a good boxer, but he’s not going to give Manny the problems other fighters, like Shawn Porter or someone like myself, would give. Barrios is a clean-cut boxer, so I think Manny, with his movement, would be too much. When he’s moving from left to right, he’s going to throw Barrios off, and he’s got the speed on his side.

Barrios has good timing, because I sparred with him a lot as well. But I feel it’s a great match for Manny Pacquiao to come back to. Then again, I’m not taking anything away—Barrios may have developed significantly since we trained together eight years ago.

It just depends on which Barrios turns up and which Manny Pacquiao shows up. It’s going to be a great fight, though, regardless, because a lot of people want to see what Manny looks like coming back, and a lot of people want to see how Barrios performs against him,” Khan concluded.

Whether the long-discussed Khan-Pacquiao bout materializes depends largely on securing the right financial support. For now, boxing fans will be watching closely to see if the two legends finally step into the ring together later this year.

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