First, former unified junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan declined to challenge British countryman Kell Brook for his welterweight world title on June 13 in what would be a massive all-British showdown.
Then, Khan’s team also declined to participate in a mandated elimination bout with former titlist Timothy Bradley Jr. to produce Brook’s next mandatory challenger. That would have been understandable had Khan accepted the fight with Brook, therefore making the need for him to fight the eliminator unnecessary.
All along the rumor was Khan was instead going to fight on May 30 against former junior welterweight titlist Chris Algieri, whose last fight saw him knocked down six times in a horrible performance against Manny Pacquiao. And then Khan made a YouTube video saying Algieri was indeed going to be his next opponent. But that was before Khan almost immediately backtracked on the remarks.
That was two weeks ago and this is now, and guess what:
Khan-Algieri is slated to take place on May 29, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the fight. It will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and air on Spike TV as part of Khan adviser Al Haymon’s “Premier Boxing Champions” series.
Perhaps Khan already knew what was in the works when he tweeted on Saturday: “Would love to fight at the @barclayscenter in Brooklyn in the future. Great boxing venue.”
England’s Khan will be, by far, the biggest name to have been on Spike TV through its first three PBC cards.
Algieri (20-1, 8 KOs), 31, of Huntington, New York, has not fought since the November loss to Pacquiao and recently changed trainers, firing Tim Lane after Lane’s awful performance in the Pacquiao fight to train with John David Jackson. In the fight before the loss to Pacquiao, Algieri survived two knockdowns in the first round and terrible swollen eye to claim a split decision and a world title against Ruslan Provodnikov last June at Barclays Center.
Since getting knocked out by Danny Garcia in the fourth round and losing his junior welterweight in July 2012, Khan (30-3, 19 KOs), 28, has won four fights in a row. He is coming off a nearly flawless performance in a lopsided decision against former two-division titleholder Devon Alexander on Dec. 13 in Las Vegas.