(NI VT ROMANO, Saksi Ngayon, Sports Editor)

LAS VEGAS – Pinasinungalingan ng kampo ni eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao na may pinirmahan itong laban para sa Nobyembre 8 sa Saudi Arabia, gaya ng inihayag ni British fighter Amir Khan.

Sinegundahan nina international matchmaker Sean Gibbons at publicist Fred Sternburg na walang katotohanan ang mga inihayag ni Khan.

“Manny has not signed a contract for that fight,” ani Sternburg.

“The Amir Khan fight is news to us,” lahad naman ni Gibbons.

“It’s simple, Senator Pacquiao is focused on his fight July 20 on Fox Sports Pay-Per-View versus Keith Thurman,” dagdag pa ni Gibbons, na siya ring president ng MP Promotions.

“I don’t have any idea what’s gotten into Khan’s mind,” wika pa ni Sternburg.

Natawa naman si Pacquiao sa nasabing balita.

“Baka ibang Pacquiao ‘yung tinutukoy niya,” pagbibiro ng Pambansang Kamao.

Noong Biyernes sa Jeddah, tinalo ni Khan via 4th round KO si Australian Billy Dib.

Ang nasabing laban ay pinulaan ng mga kritiko sa pagsasabing ‘mismatch.’

“The next fight is going to be back in Saudi Arabia, it is going to be in Riyadh this time and it is going to be on November 8,” pahayag ni Khan nitong Martes sa isang press conference sa kanyang hometown na Bolton, England, ayon sa boxingscene.com. “Hopefully it could be the Manny Pacquiao fight, we have both signed and the fight is done and hopefully he gets past his fight on the weekend then we go and do that fight.”

Si Pacquiao  (61-7-2, 39KOs) at Khan (34-5, 21KOs) ay halos sabay nag-train sa Wild Card gym sa ilalim ni Freddie Roach. Sumikat si Khan bilang unified titlist sa 140-pound division, pero naputol ang kanyang paghahari bunga ng magkasunod na kabiguan sa kamay nina Lamont Peterson at Danny Garcia.

Kinikilala pa rin naman si Khan bilang isa sa mga mahusay na boksingero, pero hirap na siyang makabalik sa tuktok.