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Kevin Cunningham is never at a loss for words, and he and Amir Khan have had plenty of back-and-forth in recent weeks concerning a potential December 7 fight between Khan and Cunningham's fighter, Devon Alexander. There has been talk of Dubai, talk of other venues in the U.S. or U.K., and now, Khan is giving the impression that Alexander has lost his nerve for the fight.
Cunningham tells BoxingScene.com's Rick Reeno that this is BS:
"He's playing games with the fans and the fans aren't stupid. ... [U]ntil a deal that makes sense is struck - it's a bunch of bullshit. How could [Khan] go out and say a deal is 90% done and you don't even have a deal with the guy [you're trying to fight]? They are doing business for them and us. I guess they represent us too. What kind of deal does Khan have? A deal to fight himself?"
Khan (28-3, 19 KO) is in many ways the A-side in this negotiation, whether Cunningham and Alexander like it or not, but if their stance is that they care more about Alexander (25-1, 14 KO) and his IBF title than they do whatever extra money comes from fighting Khan instead of someone else, then sure, they could stand their ground and wait for a deal that they want, rather than settling at all.
It's not like Alexander is going to fall off the map, and if push comes to shove, who needs this fight more? Khan beating Alexander would be his biggest win in years and give him that hopeful push to a Floyd Mayweather fight in 2014. In Khan, Alexander would be facing a guy that many believe to be damaged goods, and undeserving of an immediate welterweight title shot anyway.
So it's quite a situation here, and the longer it goes on like this, the more it's worth wondering if this fight will happen at all.