BOLTON: British boxer Amir Khan claims he has agreed a deal to fight Manny Pacquiao in Saudi Arabia in November.

Amir won the WBC international welterweight title with a fourth round stoppage of Australian Billy Dib in Jeddah on Friday.

Now the 32-year-old plans to return to Saudi Arabia on Nov 8 to face former sparring partner Pacquiao, if the Filipino comes through unscathed against Keith Thurman in their WBA welterweight title fight in Las Vegas this weekend.

A proposed fight between the two fell through in 2017, but Amir says the 40-year-old has given his blessing to a bout in Riyadh, although Pacquiao has yet to publicly confirm it himself.

“Signed off and done, to get Manny Pacquiao is amazing,” Amir told British radio station TalkSport in Bolton on Tuesday. “To have him sign that dotted line is brilliant. No matter how he does against Thurman I still think it’s a big fight.”

Filipino Pacquiao has 61 wins, seven defeats and two draws in his career, while Amir has 34 wins and five defeats.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2019