Luis Collazo has announced big plans to build on his recent win over Victor Ortiz by defeating Amir Khan and landing a Barclays pay-per-view matchup with Floyd Mayweather.
Collazo, who recently was named “Fighter of the Month” by RING Magazine, knocked out Ortiz in two rounds this past January. His name has been rumored as a possible Amir Khan opponent on the May 3 undercard of Mayweather vs. Maidana. By defeating Khan, Collazo hopes to increase his marketability enough to bypass other potential Mayweather foes and lure the Pound 4 Pound king outside of Las Vegas.
“Getting a chance to fight Floyd and prove I’m the best is definitely the goal,” said Collazo in a statement. “Now, getting a chance to fight Floyd at home [Brooklyn], that’s a whole different ballpark. That’s a dream.”
Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark made a site bid on the Mayweather-Maidana card and still hopes to eventually be the venue to host Mayweather’s first fight outside of Vegas since 2005.
“How great would it be for Brooklyn if the favorite son of Brooklyn fights this legendary fighter Floyd Mayweather? I think that goes down as, in many respects, the rational for what we want to do here,” Yormark recently told BoxingScene’s Mitch Abramson.
At press time, the proposed Amir Khan-Luis Collazo fight remains unconfirmed.
“Amir Khan up next and then, Floyd at home, that would be ideal,” Collazo added. “I’m very proud Mr. Yorkmark thought of me and Mayweather as Brooklyn’s ‘Dream Fight,’ that makes me truly proud of my roots, of Brooklyn.”
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Aim high, Luis! With everyone and their momma wanting a piece of Floyd Mayweather, Collazo might as well throw his name in the hat. Even if he ends up fighting Khan and puts on a spectacular performance, luring Mayweather away from Vegas (where he gets a hefty percentage of the all that goes on at the MGM during fight weekend) will be near impossible.
With that said, who is the clear “next opponent” for Mayweather. Danny Garcia turned in a subpar outing last Saturday in a bout that most feel he lost. Timothy Bradley is over at Top Rank. Devon Alexander, Keith Thurman, the winner of Porter-Malignaggi and Erislandy Lara aren’t exactly names that will set the box office on fire. If Collazo were to face Khan and put on a thrilling battle akin to the former’s war with Andre Berto, it may just be enough to leap ahead of the pack.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 