Opinion: Pacquiao-Khan and a Possible Lure for Floyd Mayweather Jr.

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A potential 2016 showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan is huge for boxing. However, and perhaps more importantly for both fighters, it could be the bait that lures Floyd Mayweather Jr. out of his alleged retirement for a 50th fight and a massive payday for his opponent.

Although negotiations are still under way and nothing is concrete, there is absolutely no reason why Pacquiao-Khan should not happen in early 2016. Any other opponent for either of these fighters would be foolish and would not yield the desired result.

For Khan, this is exactly what he needs after being kicked to the curb by Mayweather for the past few years. He has tried everything in his power to land a Mayweather fight but, for whatever reason, had to watch as “Money” opted for a pair of fights with Marcos Maidana and the ultimate slap in the face when the pound-for-pound king chose Khan’s training partner, Andre Berto, for his 49th bout. There has been a looming clash with Kell Brook that would likely do massive numbers in the United Kingdom, but that fight will always be there for Khan. The same cannot be said about Pacquiao, whose career is winding down.

Also to Khan’s benefit is the fact that he has trained with Pacquiao in the past and is familiar with the tendencies of Freddie Roach, who served as the Brit’s trainer for a time. Obviously, Pacquiao is not quite the same fighter he was when Khan was his sparring partner, and that could yield great results for Khan, who seems to have found a second wind at welterweight. Should Khan find a way to beat Pacquiao impressively, there is no doubt that he will have Mayweather’s ear again; and if he were to knock out Pacquiao, the fans will likely demand a Mayweather-Khan fight. With demand comes money, and with money comes Mayweather. It is a very simple equation.

On the flipside, Pacquiao probably needs a Mayweather rematch more than anything else considering the performance he put on back in May -- a fight Mayweather owned from bell to bell. Pacquiao blames a shoulder injury, but nobody has ever fully bought into that claim. Regardless, his stock took a pretty significant hit after being unable to disrupt Mayweather from fighting the exact way he wanted to en route to a surprisingly easy unanimous decision victory.

Even though an immediate Mayweather rematch has received the cold shoulder, it would still be the biggest draw in boxing. However, the only way that fight makes sense is if Pacquiao can prove that he still has “it” by taking out Khan for his return fight. If the human hurricane known as Pacquiao were to return and annihilate Khan, surely a return meeting with Mayweather would have some appeal because maybe, just maybe, that shoulder injury was significant enough to alter the outcome of the fight. Once again, with demand comes money, and with money comes Mayweather.

If luring Mayweather out of his retirement is the desired outcome, than a Pacquiao-Khan fight serves all involved. Even without Mayweather, this is arguably the best fight that can be made for either boxer at this point in their respective careers. Pacquiao should not be out there taking a tour of the welterweight division against young lions like Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia and Terence Crawford, among others. While any of those opponents would make for fun fights for boxing fans, none of those names draw like Khan would. Pacquiao needs to make the biggest fights that can be made as he prepares for his farewell tour. As for Khan, the Brook fight is huge in the UK, but losing to Pacquiao will not lower his stock, nor prevent that fight from happening -- unless he gets destroyed.

So why not fight each other? The best -- and maybe worst -- thing that can happen is that the winner will become a probable opponent for Mayweather, should he choose to return for a 50th bout; and even if Mayweather decides to stay in his Scrooge McDuck vault of cash, the Pacquiao-Khan winner will be in line for another big payday.

Andreas Hale is a content producer for Jay Z’s LifeandTimes.com and editor-in-chief of PremierWuzHere.com, as well as a frequent Sherdog.com columnist. Check out his archive here.