"He's on the Manny Pacquiao undercard against a nobody. What happens if he loses that fight? He's finished. He's so confident of beating me; he konws he can't beat me. He didn't wanna step in the ring with me...I hear usually the undercard [fighter], they usually fight the winner of the main event, so the fans can see him [Bradley] and see what he's like...I think it will be one of the biggest mismatches in boxing history. I guarantee for a fact that Tim Bradley will get knocked out cold by Manny. I know that 100%...he [Pacquiao] has a lot more power than me. I admit it. I may be faster than him, but he's got a lot more power than me. I know it. We may have the same style, in and out, but he will KO Tim Bradley. Tim Bradley can't KO anybody. He's only got, what, 12 KOs over 25 fights. He has no power. Yes, he may be a little tough guy with a good stance, but it will be the biggest mismatch fight, and it won't sell well at all," stated jr. welterweight champion Amir Khan as he shared his thoughts on Tim Bradley's recent signing with Top Rank and the possibility that he may be next in line to face Manny Pacquiao. You don't want to miss what else he had to say about Bradley, Floyd Mayweather, and his own upcoming fight with Lamont Peterson. Check it out!
BJ: So you're set to fight Lamont Peterson next.
AK: Yeah, it's in Washington, DC; venue not confirmed yet.
BJ: Is this your last fight at 140 pounds?
AK: Yeah, last fight at 140. I wanted [to take] the WBC [title] off Morrales, but he made it clear he didn't want to fight. I wanted to be the youngest undisputed champion in the history of the sport. That was my own personal goal; that's why I'm pissed off with Bradley. He denied me that opportunity after the Judah fight. I had the IBF and the WBA. Bradley had the WBC and WBO; he didn't want to fight, so they stripped him. If he fought me, all four of the belts would have been on the line. This December fight would have been big. When's the last time you seen an undisputed title fight with all four titles on the line? He's having his own problems with his promoter now. He's signed with Bob Arum, but he's scared to lose. He's waiting for a big payday. He got me angry 'cause he got the one belt stripped. I have to fight the mandatory; that's the IBF rules. What's the point in fighting the likes of Marcos Maidana again, or even an Alexander, when I have to fight Peterson anyway; that's the IBF rules. I'd rather defend my title. If Erik Morales wants to fight, I'll wait around, yes. We'll do it next year, but he don't want it. He's looking for a big payday. He's getting older. He probably wants a Marquez or Pacquiao. I tell you straight, Bradley had the best offer he's gonna get off me. He had 50/50 on the UK split, he had 50/50 on the purse; we offered everything to him. If he ever want's to fight again, he's not gonna get the same offer, that's for sure.
BJ: What happened? Why didn't it happen?
AK: I mean, don't know. If you remember, after I fought Paulie [Malignaggi], I said I'll fight Maidana, Bradley fights Alexander, and I did that. He fought Alexander, then he was calling me out. He said I was scared? I actually met him, ya know, at the Mathew Hatton/Alvarez fight. He said, "Good luck with Paul Mccloskey. I hope you do a job on him, then we can get it on." No matter how much crap we talk, we all have no bad blood. We shook hands and left; then we tried to sort it and he said no. He's scared of my style. It's a perfect style to beat him.
BJ: Do you think he's trying to let the pot boil, Amir?
AK: He ain't trying to let the pot boil, no way, right. The most HBO offers for a HBO non-PPV fight is $3 million, for any top non-PPV fight, even a super-fight, and whatever you get on the gate is separate. We got offered the most. He agreed With HBO to fight Alexander for his first $1 million payday. He only got that 'cause he agreed to fight the winner of the Amir Khan/Maidana fight, and he didn't do that, so now, he has problems with HBO, who aren't happy with him. They won't put him on. He didn't carry on with the agreement. The only bigger money out there is Pacquiao and Mayweather fights, but if he's so confident he can beat me, why not fight me, then the winner would get that shot anyway? I got the titles no one else has. He's on the Manny Pacquiao undercard against a nobody. What happens if he loses that fight? He's finished. He's so confident of beating me; he konws he can't beat me. He didn't wanna step in the ring with me.
BJ: That's right. Bob Arum just signed Bradley.
AK: Yeah, it's true. I hear usually the undercard [fighter], they usually fight the winner of the main event, so the fans can see him [Bradley] and see what he's like.
BJ What happens if/when that fight happens
AK: I think it will be one of the biggest mismatches in boxing history. I guarantee for a fact that Tim Bradley will get knocked out cold by Manny. I know that 100%.
BJ: Why do you think that Manny would KO him? What makes you so sure?
AK: Right, he [Pacquiao] has a lot more power than me. I admit it. I may be faster than him, but he's got a lot more power than me. I know it. We may have the same style, in and out, but he will KO Tim Bradley. Tim Bradley can't KO anybody. He's only got, what, 12 KOs over 25 fights. He has no power. Yes, he may be a little tough guy with a good stance, but it will be the biggest mismatch fight, and it won't sell well at all. It will be a pantomime show.
BJ: One major problem for anyone fighting him his headbutting.
AK: Bradley has won most of his fights with his head. He's cut a lot of his opponents with his head, I think. I think he's cut every single one of his last five or ten opponents, and that's what Manny will have to look out for. Freddie's ready for Tim Bradley. He told me ages ago, a long time ago, "Call Tim Bradley out. He will be an easy fight for you." That's what Freddie said to me. He has not fought anyone with mine or Manny's style. If he led with that head, we'll punch that head if he wants to lead with it.
BJ: Have you talked to Freddie about your game plan if you fight Mayweather?
AK: Yeah, me and Freddie talked. He fought Mayweather with De La Hoya. We know how to beat Floyd Mayweather. He's the best, by far. He has the best defense ever. He's wild, for him, when he's attacking. When he counters you, you're gonna lose. He will do that all night. He's too calm for you to just try to rough him up. He's just gonna wait for you to make that mistake, then bang! You saw what happened to Ricky Hatton, didn't you ? He's clever. He set that trap and bang, that left hook was there. Freddie is too smart for that, and so am I. Some people say Mayweather lost to Oscar. I have that height on Floyd Mayweather. He may have experience, but he's getting older and not the same as he used to be. I'm getting better and better and better. No one knows what to expect of me. They're not gonna get that Prescott fight again. They're not gonna see that 10th round against Madiana again. It's gonna be different every time. I'm the one who's getting better. He [Mayweather] can say what he wants about me, but I don't think he's getting any better.
BE SURE TO CHECK BACK SOON FOR PART 3 OF THIS INTERVIEW IN-DEPTH WITH JR. WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION AMIR KHAN
CLICK HERE IF YOU MISSED PART 1, AMIR KHAN: "THAT FIGHT WITH MAYWEATHER, NEXT YEAR, WILL HAPPEN"