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Pacquiao-Khan official? "No," says Arum

Bob Arum claims the Pacquiao-Khan fight is not yet official.
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—Top Rank president Bob Arum somehow doused some cold water to the boxing fans' anticipation of a Manny Pacquiao-Amir Khan fight.

Arum told Steve Kim of Boxing Scene on Tuesday (Philippine Time) that the said showdown scheduled for April 24 (Philippine Time) is not official yet.

"No," Arum simply answered Kim.

Arum even said that the reigning WBO welterweight champ's next fight is "certainly not in April."

Arum later said that he will meet with Pacquiao's adviser Mike Koncz to discuss the eight-division world champion's future.

"Well, Mike Koncz is flying in to the United States now and we're going to meet tomorrow," Arum continued.

Arum is expected to once again pitch the idea of having Pacquiao fight Australian pug Jeff Horn.

Horn garnered the lowest number of votes in an online poll posted by Pacquiao on Twitter during the Valentine season, which became the basis for him to choose his next foe.

Khan, who got nearly half of the total votes, was the runaway winner, enticing Team Pacquiao to begin negotiations with Khan's camp.

Both boxers announced on Sunday via Twitter that they have already agreed for the said fight.

[Related Story: Pacquiao to battle Khan in April]

But with Arum's statement, Horn is still on the hook.

"I don't know what offer we're talking about but obviously we're all collegial, we're all on the same team and we'll discuss what is the best move for Manny tomorrow," Arum said.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno