Former unified super-lightweight champion Amir Khan has issued a firm denial to rumors Manny Pacquiao dropped him in sparring at the Wild Card Gym.
The Bolton man spoke to WBN to air his views on the matter after becoming disappointed with what was circulating online.
Khan moved to clear up the suggestion he was hurt and put on the canvas in one of his many sessions with the eight-weight king.
Amir Khan
“I’ve been seeing reports that I got put down by Manny Pacquiao in sparring, which is not true,” Khan exclusively told World Boxing News. “I have had some great sparring sessions.
“I always look back at times I had at the Wildcard Boxing Gym in Los Angeles. Manny was a great fighter and still is a great fighter. We must have done 300 or 400 rounds of sparring, and I never put down on him or hurt by him in any way. We had some great sparring sessions.
“I was never put down or put to sleep by Manny Pacquiao. It’s ridiculous in some of the comments I’ve been reading. Look, no disrespect to Manny. We had some very competitive sparring sessions,” he added.
In a second video, Khan talked about how competitive their battles were inside the ropes, sadly, which didn’t lead to a full-on fight event happening.
The 33-year-old has told WBN on occasions before that a fight with the Filipino Senator remains firmly on his mind before Pacquiao retires.
Speaking to WBN a few weeks ago, Khan wasn’t sure about Pacquiao’s future due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Manny Pacquiao
“Yeah, for Manny Pacquiao, it’s a long time to be out of the ring. I’m sure he knows what he is doing.
“Manny is a great champion, a great fighter, and a friend of mine as well. Even though we tried to get a fight on, it’s a business at the end of the day.
“But I think it’s a very long time to be out, especially at his age. At 41 or 42, your body will not recover as quickly as it usually does, even when you are trying to get back into shape again.
“Your body will not get in peak shape as quickly as it once did, even if you train as you usually do.
“It could be a long time. Is he going to come back? We don’t know now. I know he has a lot of options out there. Who knows?”
