Boxing icon was forced to spar Manny Pacquiao for one vital reason

EXCLUSIVE: Manny Pacquiao is undoubtedly one of the most terrifying fighters to have ever set foot inside a boxing ring.

With that in mind, one of the best coaches of all time made his student step up to the plate and spar the eight-weight world champion.

Freddie Roach made Amir Khan spar Manny Pacquiao

On June 21, 2008, Amir Khan was ruthlessly knocked out by Breidis Prescott in a monumental upset that sent shockwaves around the world. Subsequently, the public began to doubt that the Brit was really as good as the hype made him out to be.

Refusing to listen to the doubters, a determined Khan flew to California to train at the Wild Card gym with Freddie Roach.

The revered coach, who has guided Manny Pacquiao to sporting greatness, wanted to see whether his new English fighter really had the minerals to bounce back from such a crushing defeat, and thus, chucked him in the squared circle for a spar with the Filipino hero.

In an exclusive interview with Sporf, Khan reminisced: “Manny Pacquiao is a legend in the sport. Now, when I see him, we shake hands, and it’s very respectful. He’s a lovely guy. When I sparred with him, it was one of the best feelings ever — I was so excited, but at the same time, I was nervous and scared. It was great that Freddie Roach put me in the ring with him to see my confidence and to see if I still had it in me after that loss to Breidis Prescott. So, it was a great strategy from him. Sharing the ring with Manny made me the fighter that I am.”

Amir Khan gives surprise verdict on Floyd Mayweather vs Terence Crawford

Of course, Roach was right to push Khan, as the icon ended up capturing two world titles.

However, despite his best efforts, there were times he fell short, notably against Terence Crawford. And unfortunately, he never got the opportunity to go head-to-head with Floyd Mayweather.

Regardless, he has an interesting opinion on what would have happened had ‘Bud’ and ‘Money’ faced off.

During his interview with Sporf, Khan revealed whether he thinks Crawford would’ve beaten Mayweather.

Featured Image Credit: Getty