Amir Khan Says He's 'Happy With the Numbers' for Pacquiao Bout

Amir Khan is back in the conversation, and this time the opponent is a legend. The 39-year-old former two-time world champion told Metro he's in active talks to face Manny Pacquiao, saying he's seen both a purse and a location he's happy with — and that Pacquiao's camp is on board too. That's notable given Khan hasn't won a fight since before his sixth-round stoppage loss to Kell Brook back in 2022.

Pacquiao, now 47, has his own long layoff to answer for. The former eight-division champ returned in July 2025 after nearly four years away and boxed to a draw with then-WBC welterweight titleholder Mario Barrios. A planned September rematch with Floyd Mayweather collapsed amid legal issues, leaving the Filipino looking for his next dance partner.

Not the Cardiff Card

If you were hoping to see this on a blockbuster undercard, temper expectations. Khan flatly denied reports linking him and Pacquiao to the Tyson Fury–Anthony Joshua bill, pencilled in for Cardiff's Principality Stadium on December 11. The Olympic silver medallist suggested the fight, if it materialises, would more likely land in 2027.

Pacquiao was earlier tied to Shakur Stevenson for that same Cardiff date, but that pairing is dead. Stevenson, the 25-0 WBO super lightweight champion with 11 knockouts, is instead chasing a showdown with Devin Haney — himself undefeated at 33-0 and now holding WBO welterweight gold after outpointing Brian Norman Jr. That's a far more competitive fight than anything Pacquiao offers at this stage.

The Reality Check

Strip away the nostalgia and the matchup is two men well past their primes trying to cash in on a rivalry that never happened when it mattered. Khan wanted Pacquiao years ago, closer to both their peaks. Now the Hall of Famer is 47, Khan's chin has been a liability for a decade, and the whole thing reads as an event first and a fight second.

Still, the pieces are moving. Khan says Pacquiao has returned to the same team he's dealing with, the numbers work, and the venue works. Whether a near-40-year-old with no recent wins and a 47-year-old coming off a draw can sell this to the public is the real question — and the answer, apparently, won't come until 2027.