Manny Pacquiao talks with Amir Khan called off due to Ramadan impact as he agrees to fight Jeff Horn
Khan cannot fight for a month between May and June due to his religious beliefs
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Filipino great Manny Pacquiao will defend his WBO welterweight title against unbeaten Australian Jeff Horn in Brisbane in July after a bout with Amir Khan fell through, local media reported.
"We're not able to fight Amir Khan because of Ramadan, so we decided to take this fight in the interim," Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz said in comments published by News Corp media.
"We signed it, so yeah, we're excited about it. But again, my preference was to fight Amir Khan. That didn't work out. We had this on the table so we decided to take it."
Bolton-born Khan is a practising Muslim and will fast from May 26 until June 24, which would have had a major impact on his fight camp for a July bout with Pacquiao.
Eight-division world champion Pacquiao agreed to an April fight against Briton Khan in the United Arab Emirates but his promoter Bob Arum said last month it had been postponed after the $38m offer for the bout failed to materialise.
The July 2 fight against Horn will be the 38-year-old Pacquiao's first since his unanimous decision victory for the title over American Jessie Vargas in Las Vegas last November.
"Manny will train and do the best he can and hopefully we get the fight over with very quickly, we get out of there, we say 'hi' to the Australian fans and media and come home," Koncz said.
"Frankly and honestly, and nothing against Jeff Horn – I've never met the kid, I don't know him personally – but the name recognition is I guess why the fans picked Amir Khan."
In February, Philippines senator Pacquiao (59-6-2) asked fans on Twitter who he should fight next in a four-man poll and 48 per cent of the respondents voted for Khan.
Horn (16-0-1) won seven per cent behind Briton Kell Brook (24 per cent) and American Terence Crawford (21).
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments