Amir Khan happy to base next opponent on financial incentive alone as he eyes Manny Pacquiao fight

After beating Samuel Vargas on Saturday night, the 31-year-old has turned his attention to arranging a career-defining fight before the turn of the year

Amir Khan celebrates his unanimous decision victory on Saturday night (Getty Images)

Amir Khan has told Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao not to price himself out of a £20m winter showdown after confirming he will choose his next opponent based on financial incentive alone.

Former unified light-welterweight champion Khan climbed off the canvas to claim a unanimous decision victory from an unexpected classic against 12/1 outsider Samuel Vargas in Birmingham on Saturday.

Now, after just three outings in three years, the 31-year-old has turned his attention to arranging a career-defining fight before the turn of the year, with two names firmly in the frame and Cardiff’s Principality Stadium already on hold in December.

Legendary eight-division champion Pacquiao, a former gym mate and sparring partner, is Khan’s preferred choice but the long-awaited Battle of Britain with Kell Brook is also a distinct possibility.

Promoter Eddie Hearn, who looks after both Khan and Brook, has revealed that Pacquiao will require a flat fee in excess of £10m in order to make the trip from the Philippines, where he is a senator.

Meanwhile, a pay-per-view clash with Brook, in front of 80,000 paying customers in Cardiff, could generate around £20m with Khan in line to take home the lion’s share.

And, after 13 years as a professional, and many more as an amateur before it, Khan makes no apologies for basing his next move on money.

He said: “As a fighter, I’m a businessman too so I will go with whatever is the best fight financially. Both fights are tough, both fights are the same and they are not going to be easy.

“My message to Pacquiao is not to price himself out. Manny needs to know that I have got other options. I have Kell Brook there as well.

Khan impressed with his speed against Vargas (Getty Images)

“Manny can’t price himself out, he is not going to make the same kind of money fighting anyone else. That’s my message to Manny.”

It is likely that both Pacquiao and Brook will have been encouraged by Khan’s performance against Vargas, which showcased impossible speed but also underlined his trademark vulnerability.

Khan dropped Vargas in the second and third round but was also floored himself in the second moments before the bell, which appeared to chime just in time for the Bolton man. The judges’ scores of 119-109, 118-10 and 119-108 delivered the correct decision but did not accurately tell the story of the fight.

Hearn said: “He is probably always going to be slightly vulnerable and that is what makes him exciting.

“I’ve already had the viewing figures from Sky and they were through the roof and he was trending No 1 on Twitter.

Hearn said Khan’s vulnerability is what makes him so exciting (Getty Images)

“It’s always the same, you never leave a fight and say, ‘oh that was boring’. The Pacquiao fight and the Brook fights are brilliant fights.”

As it stands, the promoter believes Brook represents the most valuable option for Khan should it take place in Britain but Hearn also opened the door to arranging an overseas fight with Pacquiao.

“We have to look at it,” Hearn said. “The amount of money in both fights if they take place in the UK is very similar but Amir will get more of the pot against Kell Brook than the number that Manny Pacquiao wants.

“Right now the money that Manny Pacquiao wants makes me feel like it is an international fight, i.e. you need some funding. Internationally, the Pacquiao fight is bigger.

“I think Khan-Brook could generate £20m over here. Brook might do more UK pay-per-view buys than Pacquiao because of the extra needle. I think they do a million buys. The numbers are very similar but Manny will want more than Kell will want.

The Bolton man now has Pacquiao in his sights (Getty)

“I think Kell would have to concede he would have to take less than Amir, bearing in mind the two guys’ profiles. Back in the day Kell had a world title and Amir didn’t but it’s a different dynamic now.

“Amir is a bigger draw in the States, he can bring in the US TV money, international TV money, he sells well but so does Kell Brook. I think Kell Brook is willing to concede a lesser split and do the fight at welterweight.”

With Hearn and Matchroom now operating on both sides of the Atlantic, the schedule between now and Christmas is already close to capacity. As such, he wants Khan’s next move rubber-stamped within three weeks with no fewer than four dates in December in contention.

“There’s the 15th and 22nd,” he said. “We are also pencilled in at the Principality on both December 1 and December 8.

“We want it done by the end of the month. Amir and his team are going to come and speak to us in the office this week.

“It will be the first time we sit and look at the numbers. It may be a case that we make two offers – one to Pacquiao and one to Brook and Amir will say ‘If you take this, I will take the fight’.”